Road 501 Co-design Workshop and Engagement with MLMUPC

Event details

Location: Battambang and Phnom Penh

Date: 27 July – 1 August 2025

Our RUCaS case study in Battambang illustrated how a busy urban street in the city’s historical area could be transformed into a walkable, cool, smart street that responds to heat and floods, and improves accessibility while celebrating the city’s unique culture.

With diverse stakeholders, we’re developing detailed designs for the central reservation of Road 501, to demonstrate the benefits that nature-based solutions (NbS) can bring to the small park along the road.

The design will position Battambang Provincial Administration to renovate this existing green space to create an area that addresses environmental challenges –, heat flooding – AND celebrates Battambang’s cultural heritage while creating an inclusive space that meets the diverse needs of women, children, the elderly and people with disabilities.

Mr Lim Ymeng outlined the aims for Battambang

As a first step in realising this vision, RUCaS team members, environmental design experts and local residents and business owners joined representatives from government, civil society organisations and non-government agencies at a co-design workshop in Battambang.

Workshop participants explored some fundamental questions:

What should the space do?
Who is it for?
What values should guide the design and future use?
What challenges or barriers should we plan for?
What types of NbS would work well here?
What activities or functions make the space more inclusive?

Dr Dale Browne outlining NbS examples from Australia

Workshop participants also spent some time on site at Road 501, to better understand the limitations and potential of the proposed park. They discussed concepts such as:

retaining existing trees and adding more passively irrigated trees
installing a playground area for children
including wet and dry season water management options
celebrating Battambang’s cultural heritage
improving accessibility to and around the park (e.g. installing access ramps and traffic management at intersections and key locations)
providing accessible public toilets
replacing footpath pavers with permeable paving.

Our thanks to participants for so generously sharing their knowledge, experience and time. Their ideas and visions will be incorporated into detailed concept designs for Road 501.

Thanks also to:

HE Pin Prakot, Deputy Governor of Battambang Province
Mr Ymeng Lim and officers from the Battambang Provincial Administration for hosting the workshop
Ms Faith Considine (Second Secretary for Development and Assistance at the Australian Embassy in Cambodia) for her opening remarks
representatives from the International Centre for Environmental Management, Oxfam, WaterAid, E2Designlab and 1+1>2 Architects.

Site visit along Road 501

Engagement with MLMUPC

While in Cambodia, RUCaS team members also met with representatives from the Ministry of Land Management, Urban Planning and Construction (MLMUPC), to provide an update on RUCaS activities. This included presenting the Wetland City Typologies Catalogue concept, which aims to support MLMUPC’s integration of NbS into the Master Urban Plan Land Management Planning framework.

The team also visited green infrastructure sites in Phnom Penh and Akreiy Ksatr – including Wat Svay Chrum, Prey Check High School, Road 7NG and Peng Huoth estate – to better understand local conditions and priorities. Sites.