Growing Pains, as Capital Keeps Expanding

6 February 2015

Phnom Penh is one of the fastest-growing cities in Southeast Asia. It added nearly 500,000 people between 2000 and 2010, for a total of 1.4 million. That has meant a lot of changes in a short period: more congestion, more markets, more housing. And, newcomers say, more opportunity.

The city is the best place in the country to find work, creating an irresistible pull for impoverished communities in rural areas. Today, the city continues to grow, and more change is inevitable in its neighborhoods. The Toek Thla neighorhood of Sen Sok district is a typical example. Not long ago, the land here was nothing but grass and rice fields, along with a pond. But in recent years, it has become a part of the swelling city: markets, business centers, schools, car garages and, of course, factories. All of that has meant more commerce and more people.

Source:

http://www.voacambodia.com/content/growing-pains-as-capital-keeps-expanding/2630483.html