Phnom Penh

A City Shaped by Spirituality

Series: 

Prompted by lived experience, this book presents spatial impacts of spirituality in the city of Phnom Penh through a diverse array of text, photographs, and drawings. It introduces the prevalent hybrid spirituality of Khmer culture that is spatially manifest in three leading ways: the topographical elements of tree, mountain, and water; house typologies and urban focal points at variety of scale; and finally, through traditional rituals. A plausible dynamic relationship between spirituality and urban design emerges that demonstrates spirituality as a core urban design parameter. This work makes a vital and timely contribution to Southeast Asian urbanism that will inform future city design.
Copyright Year:
2026
E-Book (PDF)
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Published
ISBN:
978-90-04-76044-8
Publication:
01 Jun 2026
Hardback
Availability:
Published
ISBN:
978-90-04-76043-1
Publication:
02 Jul 2026
Cover Phnom Penh

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Paul D.C. Robinson, Ph.D. (2020), is an award-winning RIBA qualified Architect and Urban Designer who regularly teaches and publishes in the fields of Architecture and Tropical Urbanism.
Contents

Foreword

Acknowledgements

List of Figures

Introduction
 1 Setting the Scene
 2 An Integrated Approach
 3 The Postcolonial Filter
 4 The Journey Ahead

1 Phnom Penh
 1 A City Overview
 2 Conclusion

2 Hybrid Spirituality
 1 Spirituality, Architecture, and Urban Design
 2 Origins of Hybrid Spirituality
 3 Conclusion

3 Topography, Spirituality, and the Tree
 1 Topography and Spirituality
 2 The Topographical Element of the Tree
 3 The Natural Tree
 4 The Abstracted Tree
 5 Conclusion

4 The Mountain
 1 The Animist Natural Mountain
 2 The Hybrid Natural Mountain
 3 The Artificial Urban Mountain
 4 The Abstracted Mountain
 5 Conclusion

5 Water and Spatial Spirituality Maps
 1 A Brief Urban History
 2 The Natural Presence of Water
 3 The Abstracted Presence of Water
 4 Spatial Spirituality Maps
 5 Conclusion

6 Traditional Khmer Dwelling
 1 Two Traditional Construction Rituals

 2 The Typical Traditional Khmer Settlement Evolution Ritual
 3 The Traditional Settlement, Spirituality, and the Senses
 4 The Typical Traditional Khmer House Construction Ritual
 5 The Traditional House, Spirituality, and the Senses
 6 Conclusion

7 Vann Molyvann and Twenty-First-Century Khmer Dwelling
 1 The Traditional House and Vann Molyvann
 2 Typology 1: The Shophouse
 3 Twenty-First-Century Domestic Vernacular Architecture
 4 Typology 2: The Detached/Semi-detached Villa
 5 Typology 3: The High-Rise Apartment Block
 6 Spatial Impact of Spirituality Elevations and Sections
 7 Conclusion

8 Urban Layout Evolution
 1 Urban Layout Origins
 2 Urban Layouts during the French Protectorate
 3 Wat Phnom
 4 The Royal Palace
 5 Ben Decho Lake
 6 The Urban Layout during the First Era of Independence
 7 The Independence Monument
 8 The National Sports Complex
 9 Rupture and the Era of War
 10 The Urban Layout since 1993
 11 Twenty-First-Century Urban Focal Points
 12 Conclusion

9 The Water Festival
 1 An Urban Ritual
 2 The King
 3 Hybrid Spirituality during the Water Festival
 4 Conclusion

10 Future Possibilities
 1 Gathered Conclusions
 2 Contributions to Knowledge
 3 Future Possibilities
 4 Personal End Note

Appendix 1: Chronology of Kings

Appendix 2: Flags of Cambodia

Glossary

Bibliography

Index

The primary readership will be the academic world. Students (undergraduate & postgraduate) of Southeast Asian Studies (specifically Cambodia) Architecture & Urban Design & Spirituality.
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