Investigating governance and capacities for urban sustainability transformation in Cambodia
- Publication Type:
- Thesis
- Issue Date:
- 2025
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Urbanisation, especially in rapidly developing lower- and middle- income countries, presents significant socio-environmental and economic challenges that potentially undermine the liveability and sustainability of cities. Within Southeast Asia and especially in Cambodia, the sustainability challenges of rapid urbanisation are particularly evident as there has often been less strategic planning and public investment, and urban stakeholders have limited capacities, including in governance.
This thesis investigates the governance and capacities needed for urban sustainability transformation in two Cambodian cities, Battambang and Sihanoukville. This thesis is the first empirical research investigating transformative capacities and governance in Southeast Asian cities, and it contributes new knowledge to the inter-disciplinary field of urban sustainability transformations. Sustainability transformation involves large-scale structural changes to address societal and ecological challenges, and is often a deep, sustained and non-linear change process that involves cultural, political, technological, economic, social and/or environmental processes. Urban transformative capacities are needed to implement deliberate urban sustainability transformations, including within a city’s governance structures and practices.
I conducted my research for this thesis through a qualitative case study approach focusing on the sanitation sectors of both cities, framed by the urban transformative capacities framework of Wolfram (2016) and the social-political governance theory of Kooiman (1999). My case studies’ findings were formed through semi-structured interviews with 70 participants across the two case study cities – Battambang and Sihanoukville – and 3 focus groups that included 18 participants in Sihanoukville.
My thesis provides practical insights for urban stakeholders in Battambang and Sihanoukville. In Battambang, I have identified the key urban transformative capacities that have enabled Battambang to initiate its transformational solid waste management reforms, and potential focus areas for capacity strengthening. In Sihanoukville, I have identified the transformative capacities needed for Sihanoukville’s urban stakeholders to initiate their sustainability transformation processes.
My thesis contributes new knowledge to guide other similar cities. I contribute a new ‘building block’ approach to guide our understanding of how urban transformative capacities have developed incrementally in Battambang, which is particularly relevant as a framework for cities in similar resource constrained contexts. I have developed and applied a new model for conceptualising ‘urban transformative governance’, which anticipates that alignment of meta-governance (collective values/worldviews), institutions and governance practices is needed, towards the city’s transformation goals. I have identified key factors that enable intermediaries to be successful in partnering with cities to strengthen transformative capacities, including long-term, networked engagement, political support and the need to demonstrate success.
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