Reclaiming Phnom Penh’s Streets for Citizens

Picture: Illustration by Prak Norak

In an article by New Mandala, Prak Norak and Jose Rafael Martinez Garcia study the history and urban development in Cambodia’s capital.

Despite this “colonisation”, many of the smaller, more personal, alterations to Phnom Penh’s urban landscape that are happening today occur in a spontaneous, people-driven way.

Much of these changes could be classified under a category of urban design often referred to as “tactical urbanism.” To put it simply, “tactical urbanism” is the transformation of urban space through DIY or low-cost approaches. The main purpose is to revitalise an urban space through fast and cheap actions. It can be done by citizens or any actors but in a very informal way.

If for instance some residents believe they need some greenery, they plot a pot of plants on a corner of the street. If they want some seating, they’ll place a bench. All of which requires little design or budget to do. And it can be done almost by anyone in the neighbourhood, if they are so inclined.

One of the reasons Phnom Penh — a jewel in colonial times and a modern city during the 1950s and 60s — lost its fervour is due to the long decades of war in Cambodia that halted the city’s advancement. It was not long after the 1960s, that the city was beginning to decline until war reached it. After the 1990s, the city is still trying to recover itself from the ground up.

The impact of those dark decades is still felt to this day, with houses made secure with iron bars and high walls along certain properties. There is a longing to connect between citizens, yet their wariness is expressed by those high walls, heavily protected openings in houses, and desolate streets during the night.