Phnom Penh set to expand radius, population under 2035 Master Plan

By the year 2035, Cambodia’s capital city Phnom Penh will have expanded its radius by 100km, which will also increase population records to six million.

This expansion is not a mere economic venture, but a carefully crafted plan by the Royal Government of Cambodia (RGC) through the National Council for Sustainable Development (NCSD) and the Ministry of Environment (MoE) together with the Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI).

GGGI is a global inter-governmental organization geared towards inclusive and sustainable growth among developing countries, championing the simultaneous achievement of poverty reduction, social inclusion, environmental sustainability, and economic growth.

It is akin to that of the Kingdom’s neighboring countries, with Bangkok City in Thailand having a population of nine million, and 7 million in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Included is the approval of railway projects from Phnom Penh to Ho Chi Minh.

This move has been dubbed the Phnom Penh Master Plan on Land Use 2035, a major strategy under the Phnom Penh Sustainable City Plan 2018-2030.

Under this initiative, Phnom Penh as a central service hub is set to become an international-standard and metropolitan city balanced with upgraded social services and a special provision to preserve its cultural heritage.

Among the development zones, which involve construction and improvement of satellite cities, are Koh Pich, Chroy Changvar, Boeung Kak, Por Sen Chey, and Choeung Ek. Much of the work will be to extend the northern and western areas of Phnom Penh.

First introduced in 2015, the Master Plan on Land Use will be revised every five years to ensure timeliness and relevance in accordance with real-time socioeconomic developments in Cambodia and international relations, said the RGC.

The project aims to accelerate Phnom Penh’s growth potential through green city development, particularly through opportunities within the garment sector, real estate , and tourism.

Steady improvements in city infrastructure such as road networks, flood mitigation, and waste management over the years were based on the Master Plan, along with social quality aspects like poverty alleviation and climate change measures.

With the dissemination of the Phnom Penh city plan among the primary action steps, the GGI has made the 68-page electronic document available to download here.