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Opinion: Fix the City, Fix the Isolation: Rethinking Phnom Penh for Gen Z
- Mar 26
- 6 min read
Junior Research Fellow
Future Forum's junior research fellow, Keolakena Kin was published in The Cambodianess on March 26th, 2026. Check out the original article HERE, and read it below!
Loneliness and social disconnection are rising among Gen Z. But in Phnom Penh, this is not simply a mental health issue — it is a design failure. A city that offers few welcoming, accessible places to gather quietly produces isolation. Addressing this requires rethinking public space as essential social infrastructure.
Targeted investment in inclusive, youth-centered spaces—places that feel safe, open, and inviting—can help rebuild everyday connection. Even small interventions matter. Thoughtfully designed parks, shaded seating areas, creative hubs, and pedestrian-friendly corners can foster casual encounters, spark creativity, and restore a sense of belonging among young people in Phnom Penh.
Digital Connectivity, Urban Form and Youth Loneliness
Youth are highly connected in the digital world, yet fragmented in the offline one. Unlike previous generations, young people today rarely “bump into” friends in the street or hang out in local public spaces.
In Phnom Penh, the speed of urbanization has changed the face of the city’s skyline but overlooked another crucial aspect of public space. Phnom Penh is expanding vertically and horizontally; its roads are car-oriented, commodified, and in many cases inaccessible to those without wealth.
Phnom Penh has areas of promise, though they are inadequate and unevenly distributed. The Riverside is vibrant but crowded and over-commercialized. Ounalom Street/Night Market is walkable but in a poor state of maintenance. Olympic Stadium has tremendous potential but is in a state of degradation and uneven accessibility. Koh Pich is vibrant but oriented towards events and commerce.
As a result, malls have become the default public spaces for the young. Yet, these spaces are regulated, controlled, and exclusionary by design. New developments are still prioritizing cars, gated communities, and shopping centers—further eroding the public spaces of the city.
The urban form is an important factor. Phnom Penh has a very motorbike-centric transportation system, limited walkable sidewalks, and the temperature is extremely high. These factors discourage people from walking, especially for women, children, and people with disabilities as poor lighting, narrow sidewalks, and traffic-heavy streets heighten safety concerns and limit their freedom of movement.
At the same time, the economy changes the nature of youth engagement. For Gen Z Cambodians, school-life balance can be a juggling act between studies, gigs, internships, and domestic life. They do not want long formal gatherings; they crave short “micro social moments” such as a brief chat, and an evening of studying outside. Unfortunately, the city does not have many opportunities for natural interactions like this to take place.
A considerable number of the public spaces available for people to gather in, such as cafés, shopping malls, bars, and other public event spaces, have specific costs, and consumptive requirements, excluding large segments of students. Elderly, children, people with disabilities, and LGBTQ+ are further excluded when such spaces are dominated by male norms or lack of inclusive design and management.
Why Public Space Matters?
Research consistently treats public space as fundamental to social well-being rather than a luxury. Its importance is particularly pronounced for urban youth.
Firstly, there is the equalizing function of public space. Public space provides young adults the opportunities to gather without the necessity to spend money on drinks, tickets, or membership fees. This is significant in the face of rising urban inequality.
Secondly, “third places” are needed; that is, places that are neither work nor home and that allow for unplanned social interaction. Indeed, this is the Starbucks philosophy going back to the 1990s.
Thirdly, access to a green, walkable environment has been consistently associated with reductions in stress, anxiety, and screen fatigue, which are increasingly reported among urban youth.
Lastly, public spaces enable youth to express their identity as well as their creativity. This includes street art, music, youth-initiated events, as well as other collective actions, which instil a sense of community ownership. When the design is inclusive, such spaces also enable young women and gender-diverse youth to be visible as creators of cultures, not just passive users of the city.
In brief, loneliness is not just an individual concern, but is also influenced by how cities and towns are designed.
What Type of Public Space Does Gen Z Prefer?
The solution is not to add more parks, but to add more of the right kinds of parks.
Gen Z in Phnom Penh prefers flexible, multi-functional environments rather than fixed, single-function parks. Lighting, visibility, and design must be considered, particularly in campus and library areas. For young women, perceived safety strongly determines whether a space is usable at all, especially at night.
Climate-responsive design is also important. Shaded seating, trees, cooling shelters, and access to Wi-Fi can transform an unusable hot space into a liveable social space. While Sisowath Quay is a flawed space, it remains popular because it is open and accessible, despite lacking sufficient shade or seating.
Gen Z also values creative freedom. Legalized areas to paint murals and spaces for outdoor performances or open mic nights can give young people the opportunity to be creators of culture, not just consumers of it.
Nature also matters. Even small-scale actions, such as tree-lined “micro-gardens” in wetlands around Steung Meanchey, could offer communal space.
What Phnom Penh Can Do to Establish a Youth-Centered Urban Vision?
The solution does not need to involve mega-projects.
Firstly, leftover land should be used to build micro-parks and youth spaces, especially around Russian Boulevard and in densely populated areas like BKK3 and Tonle Bassac.
Secondly, the Riverside needs to be reclaimed and re-programmed. Designated areas can be developed for young people to engage in activities like pop-up stages, reading areas, and shaded areas for studying, while still allowing family-friendly areas and spaces suitable for the elderly. Pedestrian-friendly routes can be developed to connect institutions such as the Royal University of Fine Arts (RUFA) to the Riverside. These routes must prioritize safety, lighting, and visibility to encourage equal use by young women and people with disabilities.
Thirdly, nighttime safety requires targeted investment. Lighting upgrades around the National Library and Botum Park, along with pilot “Safe Night Streets” in campus-heavy districts, would expand social life beyond daylight hours.
Finally, public spaces must be integrated into mobility networks. Shaded bike paths and safe pedestrian links between campuses and parks are not just transport infrastructure—they are social infrastructure. Safe mobility is essential for enabling young women’s participation in public life.
One scheme stands out: designing a youth creative corridor between RUFA or Wat Phnom and the Riverside. The route passes through an area with a high density of Gen Z students, student housing, galleries, and cafés, but is currently unpleasant and uninviting.
Promising, rapid benefits can be achieved, including shaded pedestrian routes, safe crossing areas, youth-focused art walls on vacant building facades, pop-up performance areas near the Night Market, outdoor study areas with Wi-Fi, and enhanced lighting to improve nighttime safety. Inclusive programming would ensure that young women and marginalized youth feel equally welcome and represented.
This pilot would demonstrate how small investments can help alleviate loneliness and enhance community cohesion.
Counter-Arguments and Costs: Political Economy Considerations
It might be argued by critics that, when Phnom Penh has such restricted fiscal space, housing, transport, or flood management is more important than investing in public space, or perhaps there is a fear that informal gatherings create disorder or conflict.
Yet such concerns overlook the surprising value of the relatively low cost and high return of small-scale intervention in public space. Relatively modest investments in micro-parks, lighting upgrades, and programming initiatives offer significant social and mental health benefits and cohesion dividends compared with large infrastructure projects. At the same time, well-managed and inclusive public spaces reduce social tensions.
Politically, taking space away from cars or commercial use and devoting it to more youth-friendly public space will undoubtedly be resisted by private interests. This is where piloting projects, gathering evidence, and showing concrete benefits will be very important before scaling up.
Building Cities That Connect, Not Isolate
Tackling loneliness for Gen Z is a mental health issue but also an urban design one. Phnom Penh has an opportunity to build spaces that foster connection, innovation, and a sense of belonging for its population. A youth-friendly city does not build roads or towers; it builds spaces where young people can meet each other, express themselves, and belong.
Figure 1
“Connecting a pathway from Wat Phnom to Riverside.”
Note. Kin Chandaraveasna, January 2026, architect student at RUFA
Figure 2
shows the street as a cultural pedestrian link connecting the riverside to Wat Phnom. Existing fences are transformed into continuous art pieces that tell the city’s origin story, while improved signage, seating, and lighting enhance accessibility, safety, and everyday public experience.
Note. Kin Chandaraveasna, January 2026, architect student at RUFA
Figure 3
“The pathway from Riverside to Wat Phnom at night”
Note. Kin Chandaraveasna, January 2026, architect student at RUFA
Figure 4
“In front of the Post Office area: the current condition’’
Note. From Google Map
Figure 5
“In front of the Post Office area: Transforming the parking lot into a green space and dividing the space into clear uses, such as pedestrian areas, green areas, and seating areas.”
Note. Kin Chandaraveasna, January 2026, architect student at RUFA
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