"The Best Laid Schemes . . . ": Land-Use Planning and Historic Preservation in Cambodia

Authors

William Chapman

Abstract

This Article examines existing land use laws and proposed historic preservation-related legislation in Cambodia and offers a critical appraisal of their applicability and hopes for success. Cambodia is a small country that faces (and has faced) numerous political and economic difficulties. It possesses a rich architectural and archaeological heritage that is threatened by proposed land-use changes and future development. Initiated primarily by outsiders, principally planners and archaeologists from Europe and the United States, Cambodia's newly formulated land-use laws attempt to take irreplaceable cultural resources into account. However, plans such as those proposed by UNESCO and consultants to the government appear to be inadequate for protection and do not realistically take into account the pressing needs of the country nor predict adequately the course of future development.

First Page

529

Recommended Citation

William Chapman, "The Best Laid Schemes . . . ": Land-Use Planning and Historic Preservation in Cambodia, 7 Pac. Rim L & Pol'y J. 529 (1998).
Available at: https://digitalcommons.law.uw.edu/wilj/vol7/iss3/6