On 15 August 2024, there was a fruitful exchange meeting with leading representatives of Phnom Penh Capital Hall, among them the newly elected Vice-Governor of Phnom Penh, H.E. Vannak Seng.
The meeting was about the strategic preparation of the envisaged Implementation Phase from 2025-2027.
Our team has been able to explain about the revised character of the funding line, which will be less scientific but more implementation orientated. There will be a focus on the implementation of results and products from the current RD phase and no new (single-disciplinary) research will get funded anymore. Only transdisciplinary approaches (implementation-orientated alliances outside the scientific bubble) will get supported with focus on implementation of local stakeholders which will be scientifically accompanied, guided and consulted by the Build4People team. Furthermore, the scaling-up of approaches to other cities is welcomed by the funding agency.
That is why the overall aim of the Build4People project during Implementation phase will be the fostering of sustainable neighbourhoods in municipalities of Cambodia by making use of state-of-the-art digital and participatory planning instruments as part of integrated urban development as well of sustainable and inclusive urban transformation.
Hereby, the urban-spatial level of neighborhoods is regarded as most promising to implement and replicate locally (and even at city and regional level) adapted sustainability solutions and to benefit from the inter- and transdisciplinary approach of the Build4People project team.
In the course of the meeting we introduced about our two main tangible products which shall get implemented by PPCH during Implementation phase, the PPCH-B4P Transformation Toolbox as inter-active online information, public participation and learning platform supporting data-driven and evidence-based decisions towards sustainability in urban Cambodia and the PPCH-B4P Citizen Science APP as urban diagnosis instrument and participatory tool.
Building upon the very successful inter- and transdisciplinary approach of the Build4People Ecocity Transition Labs series of the B4P RD phase we plan for an adapted transformative format in the course of Implementation phase.
As follow-up, so-called B4P Transition Manufactories will provide a new collaboration platform for infusing sustainability into neighbourhood development with the main objective to apply criteria, design and planning guidelines as well as digital and participatory planning tools, and manuals, provided by the PPCH-B4P Transformation Toolbox as well as to intensively test the PPCH-B4P Citizen Science APP in training sessions of one week duration.
After our presentation H.E. Vannak Seng provided extensive feedback and among others we jointly discussed how to integrate our products into the newly-founded Smart City Hub Phnom Penh.
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