Build4People

It was a great pleasure to present research from the Build4People project at the International Congress of Applied Psychology (ICAP) in Florence, bringing together around 2,500 psychologists from very different fields and areas of applied psychology.

On 22 July 2026, Dr. Anke Blöbaum, Senior Researcher at Magdeburg University and Leader of the Build4People Work Package „Behaviour Change“, had the opportunity to present findings from the transdisciplinary Build4People project on “Subjective Quality of Life and Place Attachment – Insights from Phnom Penh, Cambodia.”
The presentation, the abstract of which got jointly prepared by Dr. Anke Blöbaum, Prof. Dr. Ellen Matthies, Dr. Michael Waibel, University of Hildesheim and Prof. Dr. Sok Serey from Royal University of Phnom Penh was part of a session on Urban Built Environments, providing a valuable space for exchange with colleagues working on related questions of people, places, and urban environments.

Based on a representative household survey with 750 face-to-face interviews, we explored how psychological factors, perceptions of the urban environment, and resilience resources relate to subjective quality of life in Phnom Penh.

One particularly interesting finding was the important role of satisfaction with social relationships, which emerged as the strongest predictor of subjective quality of life. Place attachment also appears to play an integrative role, connecting social, psychological, and environmental dimensions of people’s experiences of their urban environment.

Beyond presenting the findings, the conference was a very fruitful opportunity to discuss our work with international colleagues, receive thoughtful feedback, and reflect on theoretical and methodological perspectives for future research.

Finally, we would like to express our deep gratitude to everyone who contributed to the inspiring discussions at ICAP 2026, and to all colleagues involved in the empirical and applied research of the Build4People project.

#ICAP2026 #AppliedPsychology #EnvironmentalPsychology #QualityOfLife #PlaceAttachment #UrbanTransformation #PhnomPenh #Cambodia #Build4People #TransdisciplinaryResearch #MagdeburgUniversity

How can evaluation support transdisciplinary research and projects in realising their full potential? In our view, evaluation is far more than just a final, quantitative assessment of project outcomes – it is a key tool for continuously reflecting on processes, strengthening collaboration and fostering shared learning.

Within the Build4People project, the team from Otto-von-Guericke University Madgeburg, represented by Dr. Anke Blöbaum and Neele Worthmann, therefore supports our implementation process not only through a summative evaluation but also through a formative process evaluation. In other words: We focus not only on the implementation of our developed products but also on the quality of collaboration, communication and coordination within our international and interdisciplinary team.

Particularly in transdisciplinary projects, where different specialist disciplines, cultures and perspectives come together, such an ongoing evaluation lays the groundwork for recognising challenges at an early stage, identifying weaknesses in internal communication, jointly developing structures and adjusting as the project progresses, thereby providing sustainable support for the project’s success and implementation. Examining one’s own structures and internal communication is not merely a pleasant exercise; it requires additional effort from all project members beyond their normal project work, the openness to address one’s own mistakes, trust in project partners, and the flexibility to deviate from established plans in order to support the achievement of the shared project goal.

To provide targeted support for these development processes, Otto-von-Guericke University Madgeburg regularly carries out standardised quantitative surveys on key aspects of internal project collaboration – both before and after joint project activities. All in all, the survey consisted of 36 closed and three open questions. The insights gained were then reflected upon within the team and served as a valuable basis for the continuous development of working methods, communication structures and cooperation processes.

We are looking forward to taking this process further; it is an important learning experience for the whole Build4People team and contributes to understanding how evaluation, as a tool for learning and development, can support transdisciplinary research and sustainable transformation.

At the beginning of our survey, we assured participants that the specific results will not be disclosed to outside parties. As this assurance is not negated by the anonymization process we kindly ask for your understanding, that the explanations above focus more on the methodology and rationale behind the formative evaluation process. If you would like more information about our evaluation, we would be delighted to share our thoughts and experiences with you.

Finally, Build4People would like to sincerely thank Dr. Anke Blöbaum and Neele Worthmann for their dedicated efforts to prepare and to conduct the survey, to summarize and to visualize the empirical results and last but not least, to organize the joint internal B4P reflection meetings.

#Build4People #Evaluation #ProcessEvaluation #formativeprocessevaluation #TransdisciplinaryResearch #Collaboration #Implementation #Sustainability #Research #Learning

Build4People is very much thrilled to announce the publication of the third B4P Visual Utopias Clip to foster inclusive urban transformation of the public place in front of Phnom Penh Post Office

Phnom Penh‘s Post Office is one of the capital city’s most iconic buildings and the public place in front of it surrounded by a homogeneous and aesthetically appealing ensemble of buildings from the French colonial is currently mostly used as a parking space for cars.

Build4People is highly convinced that this site offers a great potential for inclusive urban transformation increasing the overall public space quality and contributing to a higher perceived quality of urban life, not only for the citizens of Phnom Penh, but also for domestic and international tourists.

The design introduces a raised pedestrian crossing, wider sidewalks, shadowing by canopies and small trees, sidewalk cafés, and small urban amenities such as several benches or waste bins. By reorganizing the space and improving accessibility, the proposal aims to create a safer, more welcoming environment for all users, during daytime and during nighttime.

Inspired by the German artist Jan Kamensky’s Visual Utopias, exhibited at CityLAB Berlin, among others, Build4People together with the association of WAE (Women in Architecture and Engineering) have facilitated the development of visual utopias for Phnom Penh, aiming to create narratives and to use them as a state-of-the-art communication tool to foster inclusive and gender-sensitive urban transformation.

The third clip of our B4P Visual Utopias Clip series got technically supported by The Gentry Hub which is a Cambodian architecture news and media platform. It provides up-to-date information on architecture videos, news, competitions, and projects for architecture professionals. Their website features articles, interviews, and reviews on architecture and design, as well as a database of projects and architects.

Graphic Animator:

Vathana Meng [mengvathana1@gmail.com], born in Kandal province of Cambodia, is a creative visual editor at The Gentry Hub. As architecture graduate from Paragon International University, Vathana blends design expertise with video storytelling to promote sustainable architecture and thriving communities. His mission is to inspire beautiful, eco-friendly spaces for both today and the future.

Overall Guidance:

Sokunlanita May [lanitamaysokun@gmail.com], Founder of WAE, Women in Architecture and Engineering, which is a cooperation partner of Build4People during Implementation phase

#Build4People
#BMFTR_SUREregions
#inclusiveurbantransformation
#visualutopias
#justcities
#urbansustainability
#visioning
#urbanvisioning
#phnompenh
#childrenfriendlycities

Build4People is thrilled about announce about the publication of a brief video clip documenting the first B4P Transition Manufactory 2026 process. It is the follow-up format of B4P Ecocity Transition Lab series undertaken in 2020, 2022, 2023 and 2024 with the city government of Phnom Penh together with major local property developer companies, various universities, and CIUS – Cambodian Institute for Urban Studies as local facilitator.

The B4P Transition Manufactory 2026 #1 follows a living lab approach, involving multiple stakeholders to initiate a visioning process to create a clear, inspiring, and shared image of an alternative sustainable urban future.

The urban site we worked on during the B4P TM 2026 is Mekong Key Riverfront City, a 200-ha-development along Mekong River opposite Koh Norea developed by TP Moral Group. It is at an early planning stage which will hopefully allow for sustainability interventions from side of Build4People.

By means of the first B4P Transition Manufactory 2026 we are furthermore bringing in the Twin Transformation strategy by combing digital and sustainability approaches. We did trainings in the use of digital urban planning tools and wanted to develop step by step a dynamic urban digital model following the principles of our B4P Transformation Toolbox sustainability neighbourhood evaluation criteria.

Adding to technical digital design solutions we used the opportunity of the B4P Transition Manufactory 2026 to develop visual utopias of inclusive urban transformation in partnership with WAE (women in architecture and engineering), and to explore potentials of AI to visualize urban dynamics in partnership with the Cambodian Academy of Digital Technology (CADT), CityLAB Berlin and the GIZ founded Digital Transformation Center (DTC).

During the final Presentation Conference, the comprehensive results of different working groups were presented. The participating students received official Certificates of Appreciation to honour their dedicated and engaged work. After the presentation part, a Letter of Intent was exchanged between the Build4People representative and the CEO of TP Moral Group.

The whole Build4People team would like to express its deep gratitude to all participants of this exciting and inspiring collective endeavour, particularly the engaged students of six participating institutions of higher education, Royal University of Phnom Penh, Paññāsāstra University of Cambodia, Norton University, Royal University of Fine Arts, Western University, and Cambodian Academy of Digital Technology. Our special thanks go to Steven Petit, creative director of OMGEVING, based in Ho Chi Minh City, who support us in regard of the development of blue-green infrastructure solutions.

The outputs of the B4P TM Presentation Conference will get further refined over the next months until the 2nd B4P Transition Manufactory, due to December 2026.