Using systems thinking for learning about possible improvements to water and sanitation configurations for diverse urban needs in Siem Reap, Cambodia

Planning interventions for heterogeneous urban water and sanitation configurations in low- and middle-income countries is inherently complex. Systems approaches are increasingly recommended in these contexts to obtain a holistic understanding of the multi-dimensional technical and human factors that impact service delivery. However, their application is constrained by the partial and situated perspectives that any individual brings to an inquiry. A narrow understanding is particularly limiting where informal service arrangements evolve outside formal planning processes. This paper describes a learning-oriented inquiry conducted in two urban villages in Siem Reap, Cambodia. The study adopts Soft Systems Methodology as an explicit interpretivist systems thinking approach. Nine purposeful human activity models were co-constructed as diverse ways of knowing about how water and sanitation services might be improved contextually, surfacing the assumptions and values that shape how the situation is understood across different worldviews. These models created space for collaborative learning about desirable and feasible options, as well as real-world constraints. The study demonstrates how values-based human activity models can complement functionalist models capable of forecasting systemic impacts, providing a less partial basis for the integrated planning of urban water and sanitation as an inclusive public service.