For a control of the urbanisation of embankments<br />in river towns of Southeast Asia

For a control of the urbanisation of embankments<br />in river towns of Southeast Asia

[SHS:GEO] Humanities and Social Sciences/Geography

urbanisation

riverfront

investor

Phnom Penh

Mekong river

Embankments in river towns of Southeast Asia were traditionally occupied by populations who practiced fishing and grew markets gardening. Since a few years we can observe a profound change of theses activities and of the urbanization. Traditional urbanisation is replaced with urban projects of great size, even with a continuous urbanisation which transforms them in waterfronts. So we have to try to understand why water seems to become today a vector of modernity and to create a recomposition of urban centrality round waterfronts. Some new urban projects are building in Phnom Penh South with important foreign capitals. Price of the soil is increasing on the embankments while most poor people are evicted from this attractive sector of the Cambodian capital. So is this process common to others river towns in Southeast Asia such as Bangkok or Shanghai? For a long time were embankments in a neglected state because they were often insalubrious. Are they now destined to become common urban showcases for international investments?

Pierdet, Céline

Living Capital : Sustaining Diversity in Southeast Asian Cities

2007-01-11

ENG

conference, seminar, workshop communication

http://halshs.archives-ouvertes.fr/halshs-00344950

http://halshs.archives-ouvertes.fr/docs/00/34/49/50/PDF/Pierdet_Paper07.pdf

Phnom Penh

Cambodia