On 02 December 2024, during the Build4People project team’s site visit to Phnom Penh, the Build4People Work Package “Sustainable Neighbourhoods” representatives Mr. Messerschmidt and Ms. Nuria Roig organized a roundtable workshop with local key stakeholders to discuss the urban neighbourhood planning direction of the city of Phnom Penh.
The workshop brought together prominent participants, including the renowned Swiss architect Mr. Martin Aerne, and leading representatives of Phnom Penh Capital Hall, including Mr. Sor Phara, Mr. Phanin Cheam, and Mr. Martin Saram. Additionally, the Build4People research and project management partner Prof. Dr. Tep Makathy, Dean of the Faculty of Architecture and Urban Planning at Paññāsāstra University of Cambodia and General Director of the Cambodian Institute for Urban Studies joined the session.
The key objective of the roundtable workshop was to introduce and to explain about benchmarks for evaluation criteria for sustainable neighborhood development, co-developed by the Build4People Work Package “Sustainable Neighbourhoods” team in cooperation with with the German Sustainable Building Council (DGNB). These criteria are integral part of the so called Phnom Penh Capital Hall (PPCH) Transformation Toolbox, Build4People’s most important tangible product of the current RD phase.
During the first part of the workshop, Mr. Messerschmidt, leader of Build4People Work Package “Sustainable Neighbourhoods”, gave an overview of the Neighbourhood Evaluation Criteria structure, application benefits and rationale.
The second part of the workshop featured a hands-on activity designed to help stakeholders familiarize themselves with the indicators and address any ambiguities that might arise.
During the wrap-up discussion, participants emphasized the potential of the evaluation criteria to serve as a critical reference in reviewing Phnom Penh’s district-level land management master plans.
Overall, it can be said that the stakeholders familiarized themselves with the proposed criteria and assessed their relevance in enhancing quality of life and sustainability performance in the local Phnom Penh context within an engaging and collaborative environment. The indicators included within the Neighbourhood Evaluation Criteria structure were deemed as highly relevant for the city’s needs.
Consequently, the Build4People team will move forward by focusing on refining the developed tools to ensure that they get better tailored to local conditions, with the overall aim to achieve the highest standards of urban quality and sustainability for the citizens of Phnom Penh.