Toward Environmentally Sustainable and Healthy Urban Transportation in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. By Phnom Penh Healthy City Committee

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1 Toward Environmentally Sustainable and Healthy Urban Transportation in Phnom Penh, Cambodia By Phnom Penh Healthy City Committee Secretariat of Phnom Penh Healthy City March

2 Summary With demand for enhancing the city environment and traffic, the government of Phnom Penh Municipality has launched a program to tackle environmental issues and traffic problems. The program called for; (i) renovate and build more parks and/or gardens in some carefully selected areas, (ii) promote tree planting alongside major roads, and (iii) promote biking for short distance transportation. To date, effort has been made to turn 57 ha of land in Phnom Penh into attractive parks and gardens. Residents of Phnom Penh have been very happy with such an outcome and have used the facilities to their full advantage. While some people use the parks and gardens for some physical activities (e.g., walking, jogging, running, exercise program organized in groups, etc.), others use them for some passive pursuits (e.g., picnicking, social activity, walking to get touched to the nature and experienced some good view of the garden itself, etc.). With regard to promotion of tree planting alongside major roads in the city, the local government has seriously committed to keep all trees planted along boulevards and avenues in good shape. Some residents in Phnom Penh begin appreciate the roles of trees and have managed to plant some alongside the roads in front of their houses. With regard to biking for short distance travel, more campaigns on biking benefits need to be done in order to achieve a greater impact. The recent campaign on benefits of biking and tree planting is a very good model to reach out a wider audience and should be repeated within an appropriate period; say one or twice a year. 2

3 Chapter 1: Introduction We, people, are part of the system All life forms (animals, plants, and other organisms) and lifeless elements (water, wind, minerals, etc.) are interlocked in an ecosystem. All play their parts and their existence in a balanced natural system is vital for a healthy environment. Services a healthy environment provides to the planet include; (i) global life support services (e.g., reproduction, pollination, habitat provision), (ii) soil and landscape formation (e.g., geomorphological processes), (iii) pollution control (e.g., noise and wind reduction, physical pollution capture), (iv) flood and erosion control (e.g., roles of vegetations), and (v) water quality purification and quantity recharge (e.g., roles of forests and aquatic plants). Urban development effectively reduces, if not completely removes, one or several elements from the ecosystem (e.g., swamps, lakes, vegetations). Losses of plant vegetations directly weaken their roles in sustaining the environmental well beings. Such a disruption will adversely affect all life forms existed in the modified ecosystem and human beings are no exception. The change: current state of physical setting and transportation in Phnom Penh As Cambodia enters into a new era of development, there are increasing concerns about the environmental well being of its major cities, the city of Phnom Penh in particular. These concerns stem from the negative sides of development; environment and traffic. The causes have been attributed to two key elements; loss of semi-natural vegetations and the ever increasing number of motor vehicles. To date, less than one-fifth of the approximately 320 km 2 of Phnom Penh are seminatural environments, mainly cultivated land (Table 1). Cultivated land exists in Khans with large containment areas and less developed in terms of infrastructure (e.g., roads, sewage systems, etc.) and housing/land markets (e.g., price of land). Those Khans, namely Dangkao, Ruessei Kaev, and Saen Sok are also characterized by a relatively low population density ranged from 1,257 to 2,748 inhabitants/km 2 which is lower than the population density for Phnom Penh at 3,370 inhabitants/km 2 (Table 1). Table 1: Area and population by Khans Area Khan (km 2 ) Cultivated land (km 2 ) Households Population Female Density (inhabitants/km 2 ) Chamkar Morn , ,331 68,382 12,026 Dangkao , , ,660 1,257 Doun Penh ,936 90,410 46,478 11,772 Mean Chey , , ,596 4,227 Prampir Makara ,594 80,519 41,349 36,434 Russei Keo , ,008 80,477 2,456 Sen Sokh , ,381 60,323 2,748 Tuol Kouk , ,612 71,769 17,790 Total ,140 1,080, ,034 3,370 Source: Based on Census

4 As city becomes populated, demand for transportation has also been risen. The 2008 Census revealed that Phnom Penh is housing to more than 220,500 motor vehicles, 176,869 of those are motorbikes (Table 2). These motor vehicles not only cause frequent traffic jams during peak hours, but emit a considerable quantity of carbon dioxide and other pollutants. Only 65,725 bikes, an environmental friendly transportation, are used by the residents. Table 2: Common transportation used in Phnom Penh Khan Small truck Heavy truck Minibus Bus Car Motorbike Tok Tok Bike Chamkar Morn ,646 26, ,936 Dangkao ,135 25, ,035 Doun Penh ,864 15, ,871 Mean Chey ,948 29, ,393 Prampir Makara ,764 14, ,541 Russei Keo ,031 21, ,499 Sen Sokh ,707 17, ,620 Tuol Kouk ,775 26, ,830 Total 2,779 1,284 1, , , ,725 Source: Based on Census 2008 The implication of change in term of human health Loss of semi-natural ecosystem (e.g., agricultural land) means people lose contact with nature. Heavy reliance on motor vehicles for transportation is an unhealthy lifestyle because the practice could lead to chronic traffic jams accompanied by accidents, stress, and ever more damage to the environment. Lessons learned from other countries reveals ways to develop a city in a more sustainable manner. Concepts of sustainable development or the ecological city represent strategies for changing these negative trends. The purpose for doing so is principally the well-being of a city s residents. Often this entails bringing more of the natural environment back into the city, because urban green space fulfills several critical functions in an urban context that benefit people s quality of life. The action In response to environmental concerns and traffic problems in the city, the government of Phnom Penh Municipality has taken some initiatives. The measures include; (i) expansion of green space via constructing or renovating more gardens and parks, (ii) promotion of tree planting alongside major roads, and (iii) awareness program on the benefits of biking. 4

5 Chapter 2: Rationale Target sites As has been presented earlier, the Phnom Penh Municipality consists of 8 Khans namely; (i) Chamkar Morn, (ii) Dangkao, (iii) Doun Penh, (iv) Mean Chey, (v) Prampir Makara, (vi) Russei Keo, (vii) Sen Sokh, and (viii) Toul Kouk. Four Khans (Chamkar Morn, Doun Penh, Prampir Makara, and Toul Kouk) are considered the powerhouse because they are not only the economic center of the country, but feature uniqueness about Phnom Penh (government buildings, national treasury, trading and financial center, parliament and senate, and other historical and cultural sites such as the National Museum and the Royal Palace). These Khans are very populated with population density exceeding 11,700 inhabitants/km 2. They have a combined area of just 29.1 km 2, accounts for 9% of Phnom Penh, but approximately 450,000 inhabitants or 41% of Phnom Penh population reside there. All these attributes make these 4 Khans an ideal target site to tackle issues on green space and traffic. Why green space? Our government and the ordinary citizens are beginning to appreciate the tangible benefits of green space and take advantage of opportunities for improving quality of life in the city. It is not difficult to be green, but in order to achieve a bigger impact; participation from the residents is needed because we can do so much more in a "system" than as isolated individuals. The rationalization behind going green is the services a green space can provide; - Reduced urban heat build-up: Trees in parks, gardens, and along major roads can reduce on-site heat build-up by countering the warming effects of paved surfaces. Urban trees reduce urban air temperatures significantly by shading heat sinks such as buildings and concrete and returning humidity to the air through evaporative cooling - Improved air quality. Trees, shrubs and other forms of vegetations remove smoke, dust and other pollutants from the air. Scientific evidence reveals that one tree can remove 11.8 kg of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere annually, equaling 11,000 miles of car emissions. Thus, a hectare of trees grown in the urban has the ability to remove 32.5 tons of particles and gases annually. - Reduced sound pollution. Trees and other vegetations planting along the roads and in front of buildings can serve as wall to lower disturbing sounds made by motor vehicles. - Water quality protection: Trees and others vegetations grown in the city reduce nitrate leaching from the soil into the water supply and reduces surface water runoff, keeping phosphorus and other pollutants out of our waterways and preventing septic system overload. Why biking? The 2008 Census has the motor vehicle users outnumbered the bikers by more than 3 times (Table 2). More motor vehicles on the roads not only make traffic worse and cause noise pollution, but lead to many negative effects on the city environment such as increased emission of harmful gases (carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, methane, nitrous 5

6 oxide, volatile organic compounds, and sulfur hexafluoride). These gases are believed to cause global warming, depletion of the ozone layer, and reduction in the air quality. These trends can be reversed when people consider using bikes for short distance travel. The benefits of biking go beyond traffic and pollution issues because bikers are rewarded with health benefits as follow; - Increased fitness: Through biking, bikers will be able to increase his/her heart and lung fitness, as well as strength and stamina. - Weight Loss - Body fat is burned through biking, thus bikers will look and feel better. - Stress Reduction - Exercise in general has been shown to decrease anxiety and stress levels, and biking is a fun way to exercise. Keeping bikers out of traffic jams will also help them in reducing stress. - Heart Benefits - Studies have shown that regular exercise such as biking lowers the risk of high blood pressure, heart attacks and strokes. - Lowered risk of other health problems - In addition to heart disease, regular exercise can also help bikers to avoid other health problems such as non-insulin dependent diabetes, arthritis and osteoporosis. Exercise also relieves symptoms of depression and increases mental health. - Increased life expectancy - The end result of having better health through biking is that bikers will live a longer and happier life! Intended impacts The measures of improving access to green space (through expansion of public parks and gardens and promotion of tree planting) and biking for short distance travel go beyond enhancing environment and traffic. Their intended impact is to bring health benefits to the residents. Specifically, green space and biking are intended to bring residents the following benefits; - Physical activity benefits: Gardens and parks in Phnom Penh were designed and built with an expectation that residents will use the place for physical activity such as walking, jogging, cycling, and organized exercise program. Regular physical activity is highly efficacious as a preventer of illness and as a therapeutic intervention for existing illness. Physical activity is beneficial (preventative and therapeutic) for cardiovascular disease, musculo-skeletal diseases, stroke and cancer. Due to their attractive features such as flowers, trees, and water, it was also anticipated that parks and gardens along the riverbanks will also be used by groups who seek green space for passive pursuits such as picnicking and other social activities. Physical activity and recreation are complementary, in that recreation usually involves some physical activity. - Psychological and quality of life benefits: There are several ways in which experience of nature as more enjoyable than urban environments might have an effect on quality of life. Enjoyment of green space might encourage people to carry out more physical activity than they would otherwise do (e.g. a regular walk in a park). Physical activity in itself then leads to improved quality of life, independent of long term benefits in morbidity and mortality. There is also a potential restorative effect of the natural environment which might translate into improvement in quality of life even when the natural environment was only being 6

7 used passively. As discussed above, some people appear to naturally seek to incorporate physical activity into their lives as a self developed therapeutic activity, and green space could play an important role as part of the natural strategies developed for physical and mental health. Chapter 3. Project execution The green space project is part of the development agenda for the city of Phnom Penh. It is the interest of the government to turn Phnom Penh into a city rich with green space that include gardens and parks and trees along the roads. Gardens and parks Under the guidance of H.E. Kep Chup Tema, the Governor of Phnom Penh, efforts have been made to build and renovate more parks and gardens in the city. At present, the priority is given to the construction of parks and garden along the Tonle Sap river paralleled the Preah Sisovath boulevard, extended from the Royal Palace to the Council for Development in Cambodia. Individual gardens/parks have been designed to accommodate all of the following elements; trees, grasses, paving ways, benches, and column light (right picture). Such a design allows visitors to use the garden/park for multi-purposes, ranging from physical activity (e.g., exercising, walking, jogging, etc.) to passive pursuits (e.g., picnicking, social activity, walking to get touched to the nature and experienced some good view of the garden itself and the city). Residents of Phnom Penh appreciate all gardens/parks built/renovated and have used them within their own personal strategies. They are the most popular playground for Phnom Penh residents of all ages. Exercise programs organized in groups of people are very common. All users appreciate the garden/park facilities and thank the government, the Phnom Penh Municipality government in particular, for making this sort of green space accessible and attractive. Interactions with people who are regular fans of the garden along the Tonle Sap River reveal that they come for an exercise program for a number of reasons. For those who use the garden facility for physical activity, they believe their regular exercise can make them overcome problems with weight gains, sleeping difficulties, and illnesses such as 7

8 headache, hypertension, knee joint dysfunction, diabetes. For those who use the garden for passive pursuit, they appreciate the attractive feature of the gardens which include scenery view and the horticultural art of having diversified plants and flowers in the gardens Tree planting along roads As part of the green agenda for the city of Phnom Penh, planting trees along major roads has also become another priority of equally importance. Trees planted along major roads are needed for the following purposes; - Trees beautify the city landscape: more than 80% of the trees along major roads in Phnom Penh are flowering trees such as ka-ngouk (flamboyant), trabek prei (purple flower wild cherry), leang reach (golden shower) thus their flowers add aesthetic values to the city. - Trees help reduce disturbing sounds and noise made by motor vehicles - Trees absorb smokes and other pollutants emitted from cars, truck, buses, motorbikes, and other motor vehicles. - Trees absorb carbon dioxide and releases to the environment oxygen Awareness program on the benefits of biking and tree planting A meeting on promotion of Environmentally Sustainable and Healthy Urban was organized at the Chamcamorn Referral Hospital on March 20 th, The meeting was chaired by Mr. Noun Someth, Chief of Cabinet for the Phnom Penh Municipality. Participated in the meeting were 250 government officials and students from schools in Phnom Penh. The purpose of the meeting is to raise awareness for participants on the benefits of biking and tree planting along major roads. The benefit of tree planting in the city along roads has been summarized as helping to reduce warming, sound disturbance and other pollutants emitted by motor vehicles. The benefit of biking has been summarized as helping to reduce traffic problems, enhance city environment and improve physical fitness of the bikers. At the end of the meeting, participants were invited for a biking demonstration. The trip took place along Norodom boulevard and Preah Sisovath boulevard by passing some key green space and gardens that include Garden of Independence Monument, the Hun Sen 8

9 Garden, and the Chea Sim Garden. Bikers were then gathered at the Wat Phnom Park for a short interaction. Speaking at that event, Dr. Nasir Hassan shared his experience on the perception toward biking in Holland. Individual Hollanders have their own bikes and they love biking. Cambodians, residents of Phnom Penh in particular, can as well follow through. At the end of the gathering, participants cheered out loud We Love Phnom Penh. The message clearly shows their vow to advocate the green agenda as well as their commitments to enhance the city environment and traffic. 9

10 Chapter 4- Achievements Gardens/parks in place To date, the green space project in Phnom Penh has turned about 57 hectare of in Phnom Penh into parks and gardens. The project concentrated mainly in 2 Khans (Chamcar Morn and Doun Penh). Plan, however, is underway to create more park and gardens in other Khans. Of the most significant parks/gardens that have been completed include; - Riverfront park: It is most complex and large one and has all the features needed for a modern garden, which include paving ways, column light, benches, grassy area, and assorted flowering trees and palms. This is an important tourist destination. The park is located at the site of the confluence of the rivers Mekong, Tonle Sap and the Bassac. The park is the best location to view the splendid beauty of the rivers especially at the point where they are meeting each other. Moreover the park is lined with a myriad of shops and restaurants. - Soun Muk Vaing- literally means garden in front of the Royal Palace. It is primarily a lawn garden with paving ways and column light - Soun Vimean Ekareach: Locates along Sihanouk boulevard, extended from the Independent Monument to the intersection between Sihanouk-Sisovath boulevards. It has paving ways, benches, flowering trees and shrubs, and grassy areas. - Samdech Hun sen Garden: locates alongside the Bassac river, opposite the Naga casino. The Garden features some grassy areas and flowering shrubs. - Samdech Chea Sim Garden: locates alongside Sisovath boulevard. It starts from the intersection Sihanouk-Sisovath boulevards and extends to somewhere near the Chaktomouk Theatre. It is primarily a garden featured grass and trees. - Soun Muk Wat Botum: Locates in front of Botum pagoda. It features paving ways, grassy areas, and some statues. - Wat Phnom Gardens: Lies at the center of the city of Phnom Penh. The hill rises to a height of about 27 meters above the sea level. The top of the hill is the highest point of the city. Wat Phnom Hill is a major tourist attraction of Phnom Penh. According to legends of the land, Wat Phnom Hill was founded by lady Penh. She found four Buddha statues in Koki tree which was found floating in the Mekong river. In the year 1372, she made up the hill and also a shrine atop the hill to preserve these invaluable statues. In the year 1434, it was Ponhea Yat who came here and founded the city which owes its name from this very hill. 10

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12 Tree planting To date, most major roads in Phnom Penh have trees planted alongside. For instance, those along the Mao Tse Tung and Norodom boulevards. Trees along major roads are managed by the Phnom Penh Municipality. As residents understand more about the benefits of trees, it is common to see trees planted by locals alongside the roads in front of their houses. These trees are managed by the residents themselves. Examples being the roads in Sangkat Beung Keng Kang 1, Chaktomuk, and Tuol Kork etc. 12

13 Biking Initiative to promote biking is still at its fancy stage, so it is too early to assess it success. Whatever, we have to recognize the ability of Cambodians to learn and adapt new stuff for a better change. Chapter 5: Next steps Build and renovate more gardens and parks, and promoting tree planting and biking is the un-finished agenda for Environmentally Sustainable and Healthy Urban Transportation in Phnom Penh. It is, therefore, anticipated that the Phnom Penh municipality will remain committed to this green agenda. To maintain aesthetic values of our beloved city, the Phnom Penh Municipality appeals all residents to participate in tree planting and in keeping them in good shape, especially those planted by the Department of Public Work and Transportation. Residents should also rethink on more use of bikes as means of transportation, especially for short distance travel. 13