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Understanding formal and informal relationships in settlement upgrading for planning just and inclusive cities: the case of Phnom Penh, Cambodia Johanna Brugman Alvarez Master of Science in Urban Development Planning Bachelor of Urban and Regional Planning with Honours A thesis submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy at The University of Queensland in 2019 School of Earth and Environmental Sciences Abstract Since colonial times a formal/informal divide entrenched in systems of urban planning in Phnom Penh, Cambodia has been used as a governmental tool by the state to marginalize and exclude informal settlements. This tool has also been used to impose a market-oriented model of urban development that is insufficient in progressing the aspirations, needs, and claims to justice of people living in these settlements. In fact, this model has led to the development of a highly unequal and unjust city. This problematic touches on a key aspect of planning knowledge which affects many other cities of the global south. Binaries are a characteristic of western thought and capitalism. This way of thinking reproduces a hierarchical worldview with a privileging pole and unequal power relationships by making divisions between formal/informal sectors, public/private property, ordinary/global cities, and individual/collective ways of life. Binaries turn the merely different into an absolute other and exclude and marginalize the reality of difference in cities. Despite growing evidence of formal and informal relationships in cities, most research has tended to concentrate on understanding these systems separately. My research addresses this knowledge gap. In this thesis I explain how formal and informal relationships are composed in the context of informal settlement upgrading practices in Phnom Penh with emphasis in three dimensions: a) land access, b) finance for housing, infrastructure and livelihoods, and c) political recognition. I use a case study of one informal settlement in Phnom Penh to evidence how the state is implicated in informality and how these relationships produce social and spatial inequalities. I also explain how formal and informal relationships are characterized by a negotiability of value of citizenship rights, were collective action plays a key role as a mechanism that vulnerable groups rely on to legitimize their claims and secure land, housing, infrastructure, livelihoods and political recognition. This research is guided by theoretical propositions on social and spatial justice, specifically processes of accumulation by dispossession that result from the financialization of land and housing. Within this framework, the concepts of space, power, and collective action are used to transcend exchange value and illuminate the use value of cities. I I argue that market-led solutions to urban informality ingrained with binaries obscure collective action, support networks and sources of power that the urban poor use to negotiate value in the city and resist state and market-led dispossession. Maintaining these sources of power is particularly important in Phnom Penh where the state uses informality to its advantage and to satisfy the needs of local and foreign investors at the expense of the urban poor. I argue for the need to open the space for collective action in planning, and shape social and spatial interventions able to incentivise and maintain collective action within vulnerable groups. This is necessary to progress social and spatial justice by increasing the chances that vulnerable groups have to secure their rights to the city in Phnom Penh and other rapid growing cities of the global south. II Declaration by author This thesis is composed of my original work, and contains no material previously published or written by another person except where due reference has been made in the text. I have clearly stated the contribution by others to jointly-authored works that I have included in my thesis. I have clearly stated the contribution of others to my thesis as a whole, including statistical assistance, survey design, data analysis, significant technical procedures, professional editorial advice, financial support and any other original research work used or reported in my thesis. The content of my thesis is the result of work I have carried out since the commencement of my higher degree by research candidature and does not include a substantial part of work that has been submitted to qualify for the award of any other degree or diploma in any university or other tertiary institution. I have clearly stated which parts of my thesis, if any, have been submitted to qualify for another award. I acknowledge that an electronic copy of my thesis must be lodged with the University Library and, subject to the policy and procedures of The University of Queensland, the thesis be made available for research and study in accordance with the Copyright Act 1968 unless a period of embargo has been approved by the Dean of the Graduate School. I acknowledge that copyright of all material contained in my thesis resides with the copyright holder(s) of that material. Where appropriate I have obtained copyright permission from the copyright holder to reproduce material in this thesis and have sought permission from co-authors for any jointly authored works included in the thesis. III Publications included in this thesis Book chapters Brugman, J. (2017). The role of community-driven finance in bridging formal and informal practices in housing: insights from Vinh, Vietnam in Graham, C; Artopoulos, G & Day, K. (Eds), From conflict to inclusion in housing: perspectives on the interaction of communities, residents and activists with the politics of the home. London: UCL Press - Incorporated in part in Chapter 3. Peer-reviewed conference papers Brugman, J. (2018). The implications of individual titling in the wellbeing and tenure security of the urban poor: a case study from Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Land Management in Asia: Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, 10-11 December 2018. Asian Development Bank Institute. Tokyo-Japan. Incorporated in part in Chapter 9. Brugman, J. (2017). Living in a ‘gray space’: reflections on the interface between formal and informal land use practices in Phnom Penh, Cambodia in Whose Land is it Anyway? Urban Symposium. Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology. Melbourne, Australia. 14-16 November 2017. Incorporated in part in Chapter 7 Brugman, J. (2015). The role of community-driven finance in bridging formal and informal practices for securing affordable housing in South East Asia in AMPS Conference Proceedings: Future Housing: global cities and regional problems, Swinburne University of Technology, Centre for Design Innovation, Melbourne, 09- 10 June 2016. Incorporated in part in Chapter 3. Conference abstracts Brugman, J. (2018). Learning as a force of change and process for alternative politics in the urban global south. Institute of Australian Geographers and New IV Zealand Geotechnical Society Conference. Auckland, New Zealand, 11-14 July. Incorporated in part in Chapter 8 Brugman, J. (2017). Transgressing legal/illegal borders: critical perspectives on urban informalities and development practice. Institute of Australian Geographers Conference. Brisbane, Australia. 11-14 July. Incorporated in part in Chapter 2 and 3. Submitted manuscripts included in this thesis Book chapters Brugman, J. (in publication). Beyond title: Social, political and economic considerations for securing land and well-being of the urban poor and achieving the Sustainable Development Goals in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. In Yoshino, N., Tiwari, P., & Paul, S. (Eds), Land Management in Asia: Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. Tokyo, Japan: Asian Development Bank Institute – Incorporated in part in Chapter 9. Other publications during candidature Research Reports Asian Coalition for Housing Rights (ACHR). (2017). Community finance in five Asian Countries. A study on community development funds in five countries in Asia by ACHR’s community networks with support from the Rockefeller Foundation. Bangkok: ACHR. Available online: http://www.achr.net/upload/files/ACHR%20CDF%20Study%20Final%2015%20July.p df Contributor Statement of contribution Johanna Brugman (Candidate) Grant writing (30%) Data Collection (20%) Coordination (50%) Asian Coalition for Housing Rights Grant writing (70%) V Data Collection (80%) Coordination (50%) Report writing (100%) Contributions by others to the thesis In producing this thesis, I have gained substantial inputs from my supervisors Dr. Sonia Roitman and Dr. Peter Walters. They both guided me in conceptualizing, designing, executing, and examine the research data for the research project. I received editorial support from Karin Hosking. Statement of parts of the thesis submitted to qualify for the award of another degree None Research Involving Human or Animal Subjects This project complies with the National Statement on Ethical Conduct in Human Research and associated regulations of the University of Queensland. Ethics approval to conduct this research project was obtained by the Ethics Officer of the School of Geography, Planning and Environmental Management (now School of Earth and Environmental Sciences) in February 2016 - Approval Number 20160202. VI Acknowledgements From the start, this PhD journey required me to take very important decisions with professional and personal implications. Because of this, I have grown immensely as a professional and as a person. Now that I see the final
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