The major ecology constraints of the Kingdom of Cambodia's capital - Phnom Penh - are flooding, water drainage and geological movement. The city is characterized by a chaotic, unplanned mix of residential, commercial, and industrial land use. The events of the past during the Khmer Rouge period from 1975-1979 are beginning to fade; the quest for living and for employment is dominant in Cambodia. But the problems resulting from the abandonment of private property under the Khmer Rouge and the following attempts to implement a market economy based on private property. A comprehensive spatial planning system, in particular for land, soil, and water, is missing in Cambodia at present as well as a land policy that brings the private rights and the State rights for these resources into equilibrium. An illustrative example for the highly sensitive relationship between leasing of State land, the recognition of private land use rights, and the safeguarding of local interests affected by construction development can be provided by the Boeung Kak Lake project in a central location in Phnom Penh.
