VISION AND GOAL OF THE DEVELOPMENT
Development Concept
This proposed development project is aimed at turning the region of Srae Noy, L'vea Kraing and Prasat into a city with a better living environment for serving tourism sector and attracting both domestic and oversea investors. The principal view is to create a green city called Eco-City by integrating environmental and socio-economic values with beauty, recreation and architectural arts. The objective in making the region become an Eco-City reflects the link between a development view and the need to improve the quality of environment in a region where it has been degraded by unsustainable exploitation by the local communities. It also reflects the connection between the development and guarantee for the beauty of the city and comfort for those residing in it.
Definition of Eco-City
Eco-City can be described in many ways. But the overwhelming view is that it is a development of an eco-friendly city whereby we work together to improve the socio-economic and the environment for each and everyone of us and the younger generation.
Rationale for Eco-City
The growth of cities in the world in recent decades has not been in line with the theory of sustainable development of population housing. The expansion of cities has gradually swallowed up green spaces and agricultural land around those cities. The trend has pushed the population from the city center to the suburb and increased the amount of traffic flow, causing negative pressure on the environment. To improve the environment for the city dwellers, many urban organizers, environmentalists and decision-makers often try all means, such as the creation of garden city and poly-centric. Garden city appeared to be the primary idea for developing environmental-friendly city. It was initiated by Mr. Ebenezer Howard, a British national, in 1898. Letchworth, built in 1903, and Welwyn, built in 1920, were the two British cities that applied the idea of garden city.
Although it has been around for more than a century already, the idea of garden city, from which terms like Eco-City and Sustainable City have derived, remains a fresh solution or concept for solving urban environmental problems. Environmentalists hold a general view that city life pollutes and destroys the environment through the creation and discharging of enormous amount of urban solid and liquid waste, and other filthy substance.
At present, Europe and the United States of America are trying to improve various aspects of lives in their cities to ensure their sustainability and balance of the environment. The issues include human discharge and the capacity of environmental sustainability. In Asia, China is the first country where the government has ordered the construction of Eco-City at 5 different locations in Guangdon region near the Yantse River, and near Dongtan region.
In Cambodia, the rapid progress in Phnom Penh City and Siem Reap has causes severe environmental impact. The number of vehicles and factories keep increasing, and water sources have been polluted by solid and liquid urban waste that is discharged into the environment without being properly treated first. As a matter of fact, a lot of budget will be needed for changing a city that suffers from poor or damaged environmental conditions into a city that has a good and sustainable living environment. That is why the proposal to develop the region of Srae Noy, L'vea Kraing and Prasat to be an Eco-City is a good idea and in line with the current attention of the world. This development plan is feasible with an appropriate cost. It is even more suitable due to the fact that the region is a mountainous region with relative forest cover and surrounded by floodplains, and, despite some forest clearing to make room for farming and plantation, it still has a lot of uncultivated land. The development of Eco-City will not significantly affect the environment and the society, but on the contrary, it will help upgrade the ecology in the region and the living standard of the people, who live in poverty and will continue to encroach on the remaining natural resource to support their lives.
Vision of the Development
The objective of the development is to create a sustainable and effective city by integrating urban development with natural environment of improved ecology, and promoting urban agriculture, within and outside the city, through cooperation between investors, the government, the communities and the local residents. The goal is to:
- build a strong economic foundation
- create a city with strong attraction for tourism and service sectors by way of improving road network
- create "green spaces" that will also include restoration of local ecology system
- promote urban agriculture, within and outside the city, to serve as food supply source for the city itself, Siem Reap province and other areas
- promote better use of natural resources and reduce waste, and
- upgrade the living standard of the people in the city.
Goal of the Development
The Eco-City will be organized in a way that will complement other elements near it so that to decrease the number of road network and the need for energy usage. The patterns of housing, or villages, and road network will be arranged in a way known as "City of Short Distance." The city will be of a poly-centric nature, meaning the city center is in the middle and surrounded by settlements. Each settlement will have basic infrastructure and other public buildings to serve the daily needs of the people, such as grocery stores, vegetable and meat shops, and kindergarten. This kind of arrangement is to reduce the duration for traveling. However, the city architecture, especially for the urban center, shall be up to international standard, with the inclusion of the ancient Khmer architecture. Housing construction can be both of ancient Khmer or modern architecture as seen fit by the construction need. Other elements that will make a city an environmental-friendly for sustainable livelihood are shown in the diagram below.
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