Articulating intra-Asian urbanism: the production of satellite city megaprojects in Phnom Penh

Privately built satellite cities are becoming an increasingly common form of urban development in peri-urban areas of Southeast Asian cities. However, while they are beginning to receive academic attention, the majority of studies focus on design and planning issues and have a limited capacity to fully explain how satellite cities are produced. In this thesis, I investigate the production of satellite cities in Phnom Penh drawing upon recent theoretical advances that critically consider the relational and territorial geographies of urban development. The satellite cities in Phnom Penh are driven by the mobility of urban development capital, concepts and expertise that are predominately intra-Asian in scope. In examining these intra-Asian connections I avoid casting satellite cities as universal, Western urban forms and contribute to debates that problematise the Western-centrism of urban knowledge production. In the late 1990s, Cambodia emerged from several decades of conflict and communism to become more integrated into the regional and global economy. This political and economic transition led to rapid changes in the urban landscape, including the construction of satellite cities. Drawing upon interviews with key informants, I suggest that satellite cities are not simply a result of the government’s incapacity to provide infrastructure and plan for urbanisation, but the state also has an essential role in allowing land acquisitions and encouraging inflows of foreign investment. I examine in detail two satellite cities, one developed by a South Korean and other by an Indonesian company, and suggest that the South Korean company’s activities are underlined by the close relationship between their home country and Cambodia, as well as the supportive role of the South Korean developmental state. In contrast, the Indonesian company pioneered the ‘satellite city’ concept in Indonesia and is now exporting the concept to other Asian countries. A critical examination of the intra-Asian geographies of satellite city production opens up the possibility of viewing Southeast Asian cities on their own terms without relying solely on Western theory.