Phnom Penh : A City Shaped by Spirituality (Brill's Southeast Asian Library)

Prompted by lived experience, this book presents spatial impacts of spirituality in the city of Phnom Penh through a diverse array of text, photographs, and drawings. It introduces the prevalent hybrid spirituality of Khmer culture that is spatially manifest in three leading ways: the topographical elements of tree, mountain, and water; house typologies and urban focal points at variety of scale; and finally, through traditional rituals. A plausible dynamic relationship between spirituality and urban design emerges that demonstrates spirituality as a core urban design parameter. This work makes a vital and timely contribution to Southeast Asian urbanism that will inform future city design.