Urban Development and Cambodia

Cambodia is in the early stages of development and urbanization. The total population in 2005 was14.83 million of which 2.93 million (20 percent) was urban. Of the urban population, 1.17 million (40 percent) was concentrated in Phnom Phen, the capital city. The rest is distributed thinly over the 24 provincial capitals and smaller urban centers – the second largest city (Battambang) has less than 200,000 residents and there is only one other city (Siem Riep) with a population exceeding 100,000.

 

The urban population is projected to increase at the relatively high rate of 3.5 percent per annum reaching 8 million (35 percent of the total population) by 2030 with Phnom Phen continuing to gain at the expense of other cities. A review of the pattern of urbanization shows that old colonial centers (such as Kampong Cham, Pousat, Kampong Chhnang and Kampot) and market towns have decreased in relative size while cities with external linkages (Phnom Phen, Siem Reap, Sihanoukville, Mongkol Borei, Poipet and Suong) have gained.

 

The high rate of urban growth results in part from relative rural deprivation. The main drivers of economic growth have been industries with limited urban-rural linkages (garment export and tourism) that have disproportionately benefited urban areas. Between 1994 and 2004, poverty declined by over 40 percent in urban areas but only by 20 percent in rural areas. One indicator of the gap is the under-5 child mortality rate: in 2005, it was 126 in rural areas, 93 in urban areas, and 50 in Phnom Phen.

 

As a result of the high rate of urban growth, cities are expanding before the required infrastructure and services can be put in place. Consequently, the number of squatter settlements is increasing and over half the urban population is estimated to be living without access to adequate housing, water or sanitation.

 

The two major urban development challenges are to augment the existing infrastructure to facilitate a higher quality of life and to implement a development and urbanization strategy in which the smaller cities and towns have a greater role. Small towns are the first points of contact for rural populations and also locations from where inputs for rural development can be channeled to villages. Strengthening rural-urban linkages will address the growing imbalance, promote the growth of smaller towns, and simultaneously relieve the pressure on the major cities.

 

The government’s National Strategic Development Plan 2006–2010 is designed to address these issues among others. The World Bank urban program is focused on improving the provision of water and sanitation services and on building institutional capacity for sustainable urban development.