Partnerships for a Cleaner City: Lessons on Managing the Urban Environment

Abstract

With assistance from the Japan Fund for Poverty Reduction, the Income for the Poor through Community-Based Environmental Improvements Project in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, tackled flooding and poor drainage and solid waste disposal. Implemented from January 2003 to September 2005, the project improved people’s health, incomes, and hygiene. Led by the dynamic Municipality of Phnom Penh, the project brought together nongovernment organizations, community leaders, and the private sector in a setting of cooperation and trust. Aside from establishing village-managed sustainable fee-based solid waste systems, the project also led to spin-off activities—small enterprises, waste recycling, and better governance. These will hopefully be the project’s enduring legacies.