Assessing Urban Sustainability and the Potential to Improve the Quality of Education and Gender Equality in Phnom Penh, Cambodia

Abstract

This research assessed the urban sustainability of all 14 districts of the Cambodian capital Phnom Penh to identify weaknesses and improvement potentials to achieve the national development goals; the New Urban Agenda (NUA); and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 11 (sustainable cities and communities), 4 (quality education), and 5 (gender equality). The indicators’ selection was based on available data. The analysis of the indicators and their weights was based on the analytic hierarchy process (AHP). Indicator weights were used to improve assessment accuracy and identify each district’s unique characteristics and specific strengths and weaknesses. The normal distribution model was used to standardize the variables before comparison. Among the quality education indicators, the access to education and vocational training obtained the highest weight of 0.38, followed by education staff with 0.33 and facilities with 0.29. Among gender-equality-related indicators, the indicators related to professions obtained the highest weight with 0.34, followed by schools with 0.33 and decision-making with 0.32. The most sustainable district was Boeng Keng Kong, with a consolidated result of 22.81 for quality education and gender equality assessment based on indicator weights, followed by the districts Doun Penh with 20.51, Prampir Makara with 19.95, and Chamkarmon with 19.75. This research identified district-specific strengths and weaknesses, whereas the weak points unveil the improvement potential of specific districts.