This proposal focuses on improving pedestrian safety, accessibility, and overall public space quality around the roundabout. The design introduces a raised pedestrian crossing, wider sidewalks, accessible tree grates, and small urban amenities such as benches and waste bins. By reorganizing the pedestrian space and improving accessibility, the proposal aims to reconnect people to Wat Phnom Park and create a safer, more welcoming environment for all users.

Delicate sound effects were added to the clip to strengthen the vision of an inclusive and sustainable urban transformation.

Build4People ultimately aims to show the B4P Visual Utopias clips at the permanent exhibition of the recently opened Phnom Penh Smart City Hub located at the site of Wat Phnom.

Background / Rationale
Inspired by the German artist Jan Kamensky’s Visual Utopias, exhibited at CityLAB Berlin, among others, Build4People has facilitated the development of visual utopias for Phnom Penh, aiming to create narratives and to use them as a state-of-the-art communication tool to foster inclusive and gender-sensitive urban transformation.

Under the guidance of the association of WAE, Women in Architecture and Engineering, founded by Ms. Sokunlanita May and Build4People, led by Michael Waibel, William Cheav, student of Architecture and Urbanism at Norton University developed a visual utopia which he labelled “Wat Phnom Temple Site: Reconnecting Pedestrians to Wat Phnom Park”.

About the clip editor
William Cheav [williamcheav.sps@gmail.com] is a student of Architecture and Urbanism at Norton University. He is particularly interested in designing public and green spaces that encourage people to gather, interact, and reconnect within the city, through design, visual arts, and architectural visualization to communicate ideas clearly and effectively.

Survey support
Kimleng Keam [Kimlengkeam08@gmail.com] is a student of Architecture and Urbanism at BELTIE International University. She is particularly interested in exploring creative design approaches that shape meaningful and engaging spaces within the urban environment. She also uses design, visual arts, and architectural visualization to communicate ideas clearly and effectively.

Mentors
Vathana Meng & Daro Hor

Overall Guidance
Sokunlanita May [lanitamaysokun@gmail.com], Founder of WAE, Women in Architecture and Engineering, which is a cooperation partner of Build4People during Implementation phase

Jan Kamenski’s YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@visualutopias

#Build4People #BMFTR_SUREregions #inclusiveurbantransformation #visualutopias #gendersensiveurbandevelopment #justcities #urbansustainability #visioning #urbanvisioning #phnompenh

It is the follow-up format of B4P Ecocity Transition Lab series undertaken in 2020, 2022, 2023 and 2024 with the city government of Phnom Penh together with major local property developer companies, various universities, and CIUS – Cambodian Institute for Urban Studies as local facilitator.

The B4P Transition Manufactory 2026 #1 follows a living lab approach, involving multiple stakeholders to initiate a visioning process to create a clear, inspiring, and shared image of an alternative sustainable urban future.

The urban site we worked on during the B4P TM 2026 is Mekong Key Riverfront City, a 200-ha-development along Mekong River opposite Koh Norea developed by TP Moral Group. It is at an early planning stage which we expect to allow for sustainability interventions from side of Build4People.

Adding to technical digital design solutions we used the opportunity of the B4P Transition Manufactory 2026 to develop visual utopias of inclusive urban transformation in partnership with the assocation WAE (Women in Architecture and Engineering), and to explore potentials of AI to visualize urban dynamics in partnership with the Cambodian Academy of Digital Technology (CADT), CityLAB Berlin and the GIZ founded Digital Transformation Center (DTC).

During the final Presentation Conference, the comprehensive results of different working groups were presented. The participating students received official Certificates of Appreciation to honour their dedicated and engaged work. After the presentation part, a Letter of Intent was exchanged between the Build4People representative and the CEO of TP Moral Group.

The whole Build4People team would like to express its deep gratitude to all participants of this exciting and inspiring collective endeavour, particularly the engaged students of six participating institutions of higher education, Royal University of Phnom Penh, Paññāsāstra University of Cambodia, Norton University, Royal University of Fine Arts, Western University, and Cambodian Academy of Digital Technology. Our special thanks go to Steven Petit, creative director of OMGEVING, based in Ho Chi Minh City, who support us in regard of the development of blue-green infrastructure solutions.

The outputs of the B4P TM Presentation Conference will get further refined over the next months until the 2nd B4P Transition Manufactory, due to December 2026.

A second shorter and more concise clip to document the first B4P Transition Manufactory 2026 process is under preparation and will get published soon.

#Build4People #BMFTR_SUREregions #livinglab #urbanvisioning #sustainabilityinterventions #integratedurbandesign #spongecity #bluegreeninfrastracture #naturebasedsolutions

Many discussions about urban development remain academic and technical, often making them difficult for the general public to access. Build4People therefore regards visual utopias as starting point of public awareness rising about inclusive, people-centered urban design, moving beyond purely technical planning.

This is particularly needed because, in Phnom Penh, as our empirical research has shown, the share of urban citizens with a deeper understanding of matters of urban sustainability seems to be rather limited. Furthermore, Phnom Penh suffers from urban issues like many cities in the world, such as limited public spaces limited, persisting accessibility barriers, domination of streets by car-traffic, and urban environments that are not always inclusive for women, children, older people, or people with disabilities.

Therefore, the first step was to observe and to analyze specific urban spaces in Phnom Penh with regard to different target groups and behaviors. In a second step animated digital “bevor- and-after” visualizations were created to illustrate alternative visions of sustainable urban development.

This first clip focuses on a major landmark of Phnom Penh, the Central Market, an iconic architecture from the French colonial era and the vibrant economic heart of the city. 

Under the guidance of the association of WAE, Women in Architecture and Engineering, founded by Ms. Sokunlanita May and Build4People led by Michael Waibel, two students from the Faculty of Architecture and Urban Planning at the Paññāsāstra University of Cambodia – Va Meng Er and Prak Norak – developed a visual utopia which they labelled “Central Market for All”.

Their concept aims to promote walking by prioritizing pedestrians, particularly when crossing the road by the introduction of an elevated crosswalk that functions both as a speed bump and an accessible path for people with physical disabilities. Other measures suggest fixing the market stalls with a material that retains less heat and installing solar panels to improve energy efficiency. Finally, it is suggested to replace some parking spaces with green space and trees to reduce heat on the street and to orient the space for pedestrians rather than cars.

Delicate sound effects were added to the clip to strengthen the vision of an inclusive and sustainable urban transformation.

Build4People finally aims to show the B4P Visual Utopias clips at the permanent exhibition of the recently opened Phnom Penh Smart City Hub located at the site of Wat Phnom.

About the video clip editors:

Va Meng Er is currently a student of architecture and urban planning of Pannasastra University of Cambodia. She had previously participated in various workshops and activities with Build4People and City Hall. Besides architecture and urban planning, she also has interest and experience in video editing (vamengerva@gmail.com).

Prak Norak is an architecture and urban planning student at Pannasastra University of Cambodia. He has an interest in designing spaces that are livable, foster human activities and interactions (norakprak@gmail.com).

Further information:

Sokunlanita May, Founder of WAE, Women in Architecture and Engineering, cooperation partner of Build4People: lanitamaysokun@gmail.com

Jan Kamenski’s YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@visualutopias

#Build4People #BMFTR_SUREregions #inclusiveurbantransformation #visualutopias #PhnomPenh #gendersensiveurbandevelopment #justcities #urbansustainability #visioning #urbanvisioning

May the year ahead be full of joy, prosperity, decent health, and good fortune!

Our deep gratitude goes to Prof Nyda Chhinh from Royal University of Phnom Penh for editing the Khmer language.

The primary objective of this workshop was to discuss further steps for the continued development of digital applications to support scientific research and teaching at RUPP.

Particular focus was placed on the newly developed RUPP-B4P Thermal Comfort App. Results from recent field testing were presented, and students developed ideas on how to visualize the current survey results. In addition, participants discussed potential future applications of the RUPP-B4P Citizen Science App as both a teaching and research tool.

Our heartfelt thank-you goes to all speakers and participants, and particularly to the hosts at the Cambodia-Korea Cooperation Centre and the Royal University of Phnom Penh for making this collaborative event possible .

#Build4People #UrbanTransformation #SustainableCities #Cambodia #RUPP #ScienceWorkshop #InterdisciplinaryResearch #GreenUrbanDevelopment #CitizenScience #CitizenScienceApp #CitiesforPeople #PublicParticipation #BMFTR_SUREregions

This event presented the comprehensive results of different working groups from a one week living lab and collaborative workshop at Phnom Penh Smart City Hub to jointly develop alternative visions of sustainable urban transformation in the case of the 200 ha Mekong Quay Riverfront City site developed by the Cambodian company TP Moral Group.

The biggest working group, involving experts and students from the Cambodian Institute of Urban Studies, Eble Messerschmidt Partner (EMP), TU Dresden, OMGEVING Ho Chi Minh City (Steven Petit), Royal University of Fine Arts, Norton University, Western University, and Paññāsāstra University of Cambodia focused on the application of the B4P guidelines and evaluation criteria meant to consider the design and implementation of a blue-green infrastructure as an essential part of the new neighbourhood.

Based on an analysis of the existing landscape structure in the surrounding area and inspiration from a landscape urbanism project in Bordeaux-France, initial ideas have been developed.

The landscape strategy for the green infrastructure includes green and biodiversity fingers connecting the project area with the landscape structure, as well as passive and active green zones along the riverfront and a wetland park. The water strategy for the blue infrastructure takes stormwater coming from the surrounding areas of the local communities into consideration. A sponge city concept for the project provides stormwater infiltration within the blocks and swales in the green fingers for a controlled discharge to the Mekong River. The urban climate strategy focusses on climate adaptation and takes the prevailing local wind directions with ventilation corridors and bioclimatic parks into account.

Furthermore, the sustainable mobility concept based on transit-oriented development and an integrated urban design strategy with a mixed land use approach shall contribute a multi-layered and comprehensive master plan approach.

A quick assessment of the B4P Evaluation Criteria with a newly developed internet tool showed the potential for high sustainability performance of an enhanced master plan with regard to integrated urban design, blue-green infrastructure and sustainable urban mobility.

Another working group deliberately selected another visioning approach apart from technical design and presented three short video clips of so-called “Visual Urban Utopias”, inspired by the works of the German artist Jan Kamensky, with the aim to raise awareness of the opportunities of a more inclusive and gender-sensitive urban development of Phnom Penh. This working group was led by Sokunlanita May, co-founder of the association W.A.E. – Women in Architecture and Engineering.

More on a meta level, a working group led by Niklas Kossow from CityLAB Berlin in cooperation with representatives and students from CADT, the Cambodian Academy of Digital Technology, supported by German GIZ, explored Build4People’s Twin Transformation approach and the role of digitalisation and AI in urban development. In the case of Build4People’s Implementation phase, digital transformation and sustainable urban transformation influence each other. First, digital approaches help us to understand the city through data analysis and simulation. Second, they help to involve people, for example through the B4P Citizen Science APP that collects survey data from local residents. Third, they help us to imagine urban futures through digital planning tools and AI-based visualisations. Finally, the project’s people-centred sustainability criteria shape what kind of digitalisation is relevant and useful. So digitalisation is not an end in itself — it is directed toward better urban quality of life.

An example of a specific digital application of people’s involvement was presented by a working group led by Bunleng Se from Royal University of Phnom Penh. He showed that by the combination of objective data and of subjective data, the latter measured by means of the RUPP-B4P Thermal Comfort App, a detailed analysis of the local micro climate can be done. He further showed the results gained by the App can be generalized in the case of the climate-proof development of a new neighbourhood development, such as Mekong Quay Riverfront City.

After the presentation of the four working groups, a Letter of Intent was exchanged between the Build4People representative and the CEO of TP Moral Group.

This was followed by an exchange of the B4P Neighbourhood Evaluation Criteria publication as well as of the B4P Planning and Design guidelines, all in Khmer language, to leading representatives of TP Moral Group and of Phnom Penh Capital Hall.

Furthermore, the participating students received official Certificates of Appreciation to honour their dedicated and engaged work.

Closing words were held by H.E. Vannak Seng, Vice-Governor of Phnom Penh, and by Christof Weigelmeier, Vice-Head of Mission of the German Embassy.

The whole Build4People team would like to express its deep gratitude to all participants of this exciting and inspiring collective endeavour.

The outputs shown during the B4P TM Presentation Conference will get further refined in the course of the next months until the 2nd B4P Transition Manufactory, due to early December 2026.

The primary objective of this workshop was to discuss further steps for the continued development of digital applications to support scientific research and teaching at RUPP.

Particular focus was placed on the newly developed RUPP-B4P Thermal Comfort App. Results from recent field testing were presented, and students developed ideas on how to visualize the current survey results. In addition, participants discussed potential future applications of the RUPP-B4P Citizen Science App as both a teaching and research tool.

The RUPP-B4P Thermal Comfort App facilitates the collection of subjective thermal comfort data linked to participants locations and the parallel measurement of objective data like air temperature and humidity. This allows for the analysis of relationships between different datasets.

In general, the implementation of citizen science approaches enables citizens of Phnom Penh to actively participate in urban planning and transformation processes, while also providing researchers with a robust analytical tool with which to explore subjective perceptions.

Following opening remarks from Dr Michael Waibel (Build4People Consortium Representative), the workshop began with a presentation by Dr Anke Blöbaum on the potential of the RUPP-B4P Citizen Science App as a tool for science and participation.

Afterwards, Var Sovanndara (RUPP-IT) presented the current status of the app development and demonstrated the already operational data dashboard. Dr Michael Waibel then introduced the concept of the B4P Transition Manufactories as a collaborative format for integrated urban planning during the Implementation Phase of the B4P project. During the subsequent discussion session, participants reflected on the potential role of the RUPP team in supporting the upcoming Transition Manufactories and explored opportunities for further collaboration. The discussion was facilitated by Assistant Prof Dr Bunleng Se.

After a short break, Bunleng Se shared results from recent field testing in the Borey Peng Huoth residential area located in Chbar Ambov district. The empirical study combines objective measurements of local climate conditions with subjective assessments of thermal comfort and highlights the potential of nature-based solutions to improve the local microclimate and urban livability.

Following this presentation, students worked on developing ideas for possible output products to visualize survey results on urban climate in preparation for the B4P Transition Manufactory 2026. After presenting their ideas, a discussion took place on further applications of the RUPP-B4P Citizen Science App for both teaching and research, facilitated by Dr Anke Blöbaum.

Dr Michael Waibel’s forward-looking closing remarks brought the workshop to a close. The event concluded with a joint vegetarian lunch at CKCC, providing a great opportunity for participants to continue their discussions and to exchange perspectives.

Our heartfelt thank-you goes to all speakers and participants, and particularly to the hosts at the Cambodia-Korea Cooperation Centre and the Royal University of Phnom Penh for making this collaborative event possible .

#Build4People #SustainableUrbanTransformation #SustainableCities #Cambodia #RUPP #ScienceWorkshop #InterdisciplinaryResearch #GreenUrbanDevelopment #CitizenScience #CitizenScienceApp #CitiesforPeople #PublicParticipation #BMFTR_SUREregions

The main purpose of this was to provide the Build4People project with the opportunity to meet H.E. Say Samal, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Cambodian Ministry of Land Management, Urban Planning and Construction (MLMUPC) and his delegation, among them several state secretaries.

During the exchange we explained about our B4P Transformation Toolbox evaluation criteria for sustainable neighbourhood development and its related comprehensive planning & design guidelines. Our B4P Evaluation Criteria are for developing sustainability qualities on the neighbourhood level with a focus on new urban areas, addressing Phnom Penh, but also other cities in Cambodia, integrating developer companies, ministries and local city administrations for achieving future proof projects.

Thereby the key procedure would be the evaluation by means of sustainability indicators with minimum requirements that every project should meet to target values defining a pathway to the future, as well as step by step advancements in-between. Our idea is that a basic digital tool for this will be provided by Build4People, but a more comprehensive administration tool for digital submission, commenting and approval of results must be developed with additional funding support, e.g. from the German Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ).

The ultimate goal would be the development of a mandatory reviewing process for defining, negotiating and fixing sustainability qualities for neighbourhood developments in urban Cambodia.

Our innovative ideas meet considerable interest and consequently we got invited to a technical meeting to explain more about our approaches at the seat of the MLMUPC in Phnom Penh.

Finally, we would like to express our deep gratitude to H.E. Stefan Messerer and his whole team for making this meaningful pitching event possible.

The B4P TM is the follow-up format of B4P Ecocity Transition Lab series undertaken in 2020, 2022, 2023 and 2024 with the city government of Phnom Penh together with major local property developer companies like OCIC, various universities and CIUS Cambodian Institute for Urban Studies as local facilitator.

It also follows a living lab approach, involving multiple stakeholders to initiate a visioning process to create a clear, inspiring, and shared image of an alternative sustainable urban future.

By means of the first B4P TM 2026 we are furthermore bringing in the Twin Transformation strategy by combing digital and sustainability approaches. We do trainings in the use of digital urban planning tools and want to develop step by step a dynamic urban digital model following the principles of our B4P Transformation Toolbox sustainability neighbourhood evaluation criteria.

Adding to technical digital design solutions we use the opportunity of the B4P TM 2026 to develop visual utopias of inclusive urban transformation in partnership with WAE (women in architecture and engineering), and to explore potentials of AI to visualize urban dynamics in partnership with the Cambodian Academy of Digital Technology (CADT), CityLAB Berlin and the GIZ founded Digital Transformation Center (DTC).

Actually, there was a huge interest of local students to join the B4P TM which we were not able to fully satisfy. However, we would like to take the opportunity to express our deep gratitude to all six participating universities, Royal University of Phnom Penh, Royal University of Agriculture, Paññāsāstra University of Cambodia, Norton University, Royal University of Fine Arts, and Western University.

The urban site we work on during the B4P TM 2026 is Mekong Key Riverfront City, a 200-ha-development along Mekong River opposite Koh Norea developed by TP Moral Group. It is at an early planning stage which will hopefully allow for sustainability interventions from side of Build4People.

Build4People is particularly glad, that the renowned landscaper designer Steven Petit, Creative Director of the OMGEVING office in Ho Chi Minh City joined the B4P TM during the first days to bring in his great expertise in the field of sponge city development and the application of nature-based solutions.

The first results from the B4P Transition Manufactory 2026 will get presented in front of leading representatives from Phnom Penh Capital Hall and TP Moral Group at Phnom Penh City Hall on 13 March 2026.

End of November 2026, we envisage for a second B4P Transition Manufactory and the time in-between will be used to further optimize our digital urban model and to validate our sustainability criteria in cooperation with Phnom Phnom Penh Capital Hall and the Cambodian Ministry of Land Management, Urban Planning and Construction.

The rationale behind the covering of this topic are rapid urbanization and urban sprawl in dynamic Southeast-Asian countries, such as Cambodia. This is highlighting the need to integrate land-use planning with transportation. This is why the Build4People project has included the topic of sustainable urban mobility into its B4P Transformation Toolbox. The planning and design guideline “Sustainable Urban Mobility” provides such a framework for sustainable mobility with a focus on transit-oriented development (TOD).

The guideline has been authored by representatives of the SMMR project, funded by the German Ministry of Economic Cooperation and implemented by GFA Consulting Group on behalf of GIZ Thailand. In the past years, SMMR project has frequently entered an innovative alliance with the Build4People project, mostly in the context of the Build4People Ecocity Transition Lab series.

The Planning and Design Guideline “Sustainable Urban Mobility“, promotes sustainable mobility strategies following the AVOID-SHIFT-IMPROVE (ASI) approach:

1. Avoid long distance trips with integrated planning and TOD strategies.
2. Shift to the most energy-efficient modes.
3. Improve the existing vehicle fleets with electrification.

This approach provides planners and policymakers with a holistic method to tackle the most pressing challenges of urban mobility.

The guideline is divided into two main sections:

• From vision to action plan
• Improving Accessibility and connectivity

Thereby, strategies focus on building an integrated transport network to improve connectivity and accessibility through a phased approach.

Target groups are intended for urban planners, policymakers, local government officials in ASEAN cities. Successful implementation is expected to result in more sustainable urbanisation that promotes highly accessible and liveable urban neighbourhoods.

Build4People would like to express its deep gratitude to the lead author of the planning and design guideline “Sustainable Urban Mobility”, Sovanarith Sieng (formerly SMMR project), now working at the UN-Habitat Bangkok Programme Office.

Download link of Khmer language version :

https://build4people.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/B4P_TTB_02-3_Design_Guideline_Khmer_SUM_2026_03_06.pdf_compressed.pdf

Download link of English language version :

https://build4people.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/02-3_Toolbox_DesignGuidelines_SUM-1.pdf

Link to B4P Snapshot Interview featuring Conrad Richardson, a renowned expert in the field of sustainable urban mobility and consultant within the SMMR project “Sustainable Design of Urban mobility in Medium-Sized Metropolitan Regions”, about the approach of the Guideline “Sustainable Urban Mobility”: