Over the coming months, Build4People will take a closer look at Phnom Penh’s potential to become a more child-friendly and inclusive city.
Child-friendly cities are important because they create safe, healthy and inclusive environments where children can grow, learn and develop independently.
Led by Anke Blöbaum, together with consortium lead Michael Waibel, the CIUS Cambodian Institute for Urban Studies Organization, represented by Tep Makathy, and WAE (women in architecture and engineering), represented by May Sokunlanita, a series of activities will explore how urban planning and design can better respond to the needs and perspectives of children and their families.
The initiative will combine research, knowledge exchange, education and practical urban design:
🚸 Listening to children’s needs and stakeholders
We will conduct focus group discussions with parents and teachers, complemented by expert interviews with key stakeholders. The aim is to generate evidence-based insights into the current situation, needs and aspirations of children and families in Phnom Penh.
🚸 Sharing international knowledge
An interdisciplinary lecture on Child-Friendly Cities from a global perspective will bring state-of-the-art knowledge and international experiences to Phnom Penh, with local urban planners, designers and other relevant stakeholders as key target groups.
🚸 Turning knowledge into design
Building on the lecture, Build4People will facilitate an urban design exercise for planning students. Working with a real urban development site (TP Moral Group), students will explore how the principles of child-friendly and inclusive urban development can be translated into concrete spatial visions.
🚸 Imagining the future of Phnom Penh
Based on these visions, Build4People will support the production of an urban utopia video illustrating what a more child-friendly environment could look like in Phnom Penh.
🚸 Creating lasting impact
To ensure that these activities contribute to long-term change, a dedicated sub-chapter on Child-Friendly Cities will be developed for the Build4People Transformation Toolbox Guideline “Governance & Participation”. This will translate lessons learned into a practical resource for future urban planning and design processes.
We are thrilled about this exciting endeavour and look forward to working together towards a more inclusive, sustainable and child-friendly Phnom Penh. By making cities better for children, we can improve the quality of life for everyone.
