Strengthening transformative capacities for urban sustainability: a case study of waste reform in Battambang, Cambodia

Battambang has been identified as an exemplar for sustainability city development in Cambodia due to its success with the introduction of new programs and planning initiatives, which have led to recognition of its clean and green city status by the Cambodian Government and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). Limited research has been done to date to investigate how Battambang has achieved these results, compared with other rapidly urbanising cities of Cambodia and Southeast Asia. Through the lens of urban sustainability transformations, our research identifies the capacity strengths and gaps of Battambang city in preparing for and initiating the city's urban transformation of its waste sector, applying the transformative capacities framework of Wolfram (Cities 51:121-130, 2016). Through qualitative coding of semi-structured interviews and document analysis we found that (a) particular transformative capacities provided building blocks for the development of other capacities, (b) award and recognition processes can play a role in developing transformative capacities, and (c) that the city's culture of innovation and relatively stable population and political-economy contributed to strengthening its capacities. This research contributes knowledge for policy and practice on urban transformative capacity strengthening, as it supports a phased 'building blocks' approach in resource-constrained contexts. • 'Inclusive and open governance' and 'transformative leadership' were building block capacities that enabled the initiation of Battambang's transformation processes. • Committed and trusted intermediaries with long-term and place-based expertise played critical roles in the city's development of these early capacities. • Capacities for experimentation and learning, and institutionalisation of a multi-stakeholder approach to governing its waste reform, were the next developed. • Organisation of Wolfram's capacities framework into 'building blocks' more relevant in specific transformation phases – preparation, initiation, navigation and stabilisation – enables tailoring of learning and reflection to the context and phase of the city's transformation.