People's negotiation of space in the context of urbanization and historic conservation in Clan Jetties, Malaysia

Abstract

Penang is a rapidly urbanizing city in Malaysia. Neo liberal urban development in Penang challenges the vernacular built environment of the city. The Urban fabric of Penang is rich with different traits of architecture from the West and the East. With the population density and the land values are going up, much of the local urban spaces are getting replaced by the “modern” high rises and other land uses. While the colonial legacy of Penang built environment has been recognized by the heritage discourse to be conserved, self-built and local spaces are being mostly ignored. Both urbanization and historic conservation impacts the transformation of Penang. Clan Jetties of Penang as a self-built settlement which was produced and transformed by ordinary people over the last century is facing the challenges of both urbanization and historic conservation. This paper elaborates how Clan Jetty residents negotiate the spaces in the context of urbanization in order to survive and maintain their sense of belongings to their neighborhood. UNESCO incorporated Clan Jetties to the Georgetown World Heritage site in 2008. Although this new designation of world Heritage saved Clan jetties from getting replaced, it also stopped the natural transformation process of the settlement. However, the modernization desire by people, and their agency in transforming their neighborhood despite the heritage guidelines imposed upon them. Clan Jetty residents who rejected the conversion of their neighborhood to a “modern” neighborhood as defined and designed by the Government are in the process of following their own instincts in making small changes in their neighborhood. This paper discusses this continuous process of production of spaces by ordinary people by analyzing and contexutualizing their stories.