IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science
PAPER • OPEN ACCESS
Rethinking conservation of Malaysia world
heritage site livability: The case of Chew Jetty,
Penang
To cite this article: I D Mazlan et al 2023 IOP Conf. Ser.: Earth Environ. Sci. 1205 012083
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4th International Symposium on Civil and Environmental Engineering
IOP Conf. Series: Earth and Environmental Science
1205 (2023) 012083
IOP Publishing
doi:10.1088/1755-1315/1205/1/012083
Rethinking conservation of Malaysia world heritage site
livability: The case of Chew Jetty, Penang
I D Mazlan11*, B S Shi1 and L C Wai1
1
School of Architecture and Built Environment, UCSI University Kuala Lumpur, Kuala Lumpur,
Malaysia
*Corresponding author: ida@ucsiuniversity.edu.my
Abstract. The designation of George Town, Penang as one of the world heritage sites has
brought numerous impacts on the region and local communities. The main issue of world
heritage sites includes livability and strict heritage management which produced challenges for
the residents to sustain. This paper aims to study livability and heritage inheritance and rethink
the conservation planning of the heritage site. It is imperative to understand the direct impact of
tourism and strict rules and regulations pressure from the world heritage site designation on the
livability of the residents in the heritage site and start addressing this livability issue to regain
the balance and equilibrium between the residential and tourism sector. The Chew Jetty has been
selected as the case study area. The research of the site is done by thorough site analysis including
multiple contexts, which are historical context, physical context, sociocultural context, issues
threats and challenges, and government policies and development plans using material and
resources available online as well as in-depth interviews with residents. The paper shows that
the conservation planning set by the authority has driven away the livability of Chew Jetty and
is losing the intangible aspects of Chew Jetty.
1. Introduction
The commercially strategic geographical location of Penang and Malacca attracts global trading
companies connecting international trade routes from Europe, Middle East Asian territories, the Malay
Archipelago, and the Indian subcontinent to China. As a result, there was increasing migration and
assimilation of cultures in Malaysia, especially within reputable trading areas like Penang and Malacca.
As of July 7th, 2008, Malacca and George Town, Penang were designated as UNESCO World Heritage
Sites (WHS) and was listed under the category of Cultural Heritage by the UNESCO World Heritage
Committee. The designation of George Town as a UNESCO World Heritage Site has elevated Penang
to international status in terms of cultural heritage tourism thus attracting more tourists to the area [1].
The rising tourism had brought many positive impacts to Penang and the residents but also brought
negative impacts in terms of reduction of residents’ livability. The reduction in livability had driven out
the original residents of George Town dominantly from the heritage core zone to Penang suburbs or
rural areas, taking along their social and cultural history with them [2]. Out-migration has increased over
the years causing both tangible and intangible heritage to no longer be respected and are at risk of
disinheritance.
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4th International Symposium on Civil and Environmental Engineering
IOP Conf. Series: Earth and Environmental Science
1205 (2023) 012083
IOP Publishing
doi:10.1088/1755-1315/1205/1/012083
In the case of Chew Jetty, despite the recognition and heritage uniqueness of the jetty, until today,
local authorities still marginalize the clan jetties. Regardless of the Special Area Plan (SAP), a series of
planning interventions proposed for the jetties which include vista management, green spaces, functional
sewage system, infrastructure upgrade, housing rehabilitation, etc, thus far, only a few of these plans
have been executed [3]. Being marginalized had caused issues and challenges faced by the residents in
Clan Jetties ignored and worsened, reducing the residents’ livability even more and slowly jeopardizing
the designation of George Town as a world heritage site.
It is important to acknowledge that livability is important to ensure the sustainability of heritage
inheritance. The current conservation planning of heritage sites needs to be studied to ensure that
livability is part of conservation sites. This will allow not only tourists to enjoy heritage sites but also
locals to participate in protecting and enlivening the heritage site.
2. Literature review
2.1 Designation guidelines
No different from other cities in the world that are designated as WHS, George Town heritage area is
categorized into core and buffer zones. There are guidelines set up by UNESCO and the government to
manage the renovation, preservation, and conservation of buildings in the designated heritage area. The
guidelines are much more strict and rigid in the core area. According to SAP, any new buildings in the
core zone are not allowed to be taller than 4-storey heights while the guidelines are more flexible in the
buffer zone. Figure 1 shows the core and buffer zone of the George Town heritage area.
Figure 1. Core area and buffer zone of George Town heritage area. Adapted from Heritage
Management Plan State Government of Penang.
George Town World Heritage Incorporated (GTWHI) is a state heritage agency established by the
Penang State Government on 21 April 2010 to safeguard the OUV of George Town WHS. GTWHI
drafted a sustainable tourism strategy for the George Town heritage area in 2016 whereby five objectives
have been listed below:
•
•
•
Ensure that the tourism revenue flows back to the local communities of the WHS by
engaging with the entire tourism supply chain and policymakers.
Ensure broad stakeholder participation in the management of tourism activities at the site.
Increase the capacity of stakeholders through training and education to better manage
tourism in the WHS.
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4th International Symposium on Civil and Environmental Engineering
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•
•
1205 (2023) 012083
IOP Publishing
doi:10.1088/1755-1315/1205/1/012083
Communicate the Outstanding Universal Values (OUVs) of the WHS to increase broader
understanding and appreciation of them, and thus ensure conservation and safeguarding of
the WHS.
Enhance the visitor experience by creating innovative heritage-based products and services,
and improving health and safety (transportation, hygiene, etc).
The Clan Jetties are ancient Chinese villages consisting of stilt dwellings belonging to numerous
Chinese clans as shown in figure 2. These jetties are in the core area in WHS, and this resulted in Clan
Jetties being stagnant in the past years due to the strict rules and regulations set for the core area. While
authenticity is the main value in WHS, the strict pursuit of authenticity could become a burden to specific
stakeholders, such as the residents [4]. Human lifestyle is changing over time and architecture is strongly
related to human living habits. Constraining their lifestyle in a forced authentic traditional architecture
reduces the livability of the residents.
Figure 2. Satellite image of the Clan Jetties. Adapted from
https://www.googlemap.com.my.
2.2 Impacts of tourism on livability and heritage inheritance
Malaysia's tourist industry has grown at a rapid pace in recent years, particularly in World Heritage Sites
Penang and Malacca. The designation of George Town as a UNESCO World Heritage Site has elevated
Penang to international status in terms of cultural heritage tourism thus attracting more tourists to the
area [1]. The local administration has identified tourism as the primary engine of development and
source of foreign direct investment in their city.
Livability is recognized as a holistic concept and is close to the human concept [5]. There is no single
definition of livability as it depends on the place, time, and focus of the study. However, livability is a
significant factor when it comes to social welfare. Livability depends on the living environment;
therefore, attractive elements of a place would increase livability. Although the concept of livability is
broad, among the elements that have influenced heritage area livability is the built environment [6].
Following the WHS requirement, to maintain the value and story of the heritage city, the historical
buildings were required to be refurbished following strictly the government heritage building
conservation guidelines. Conservation projects require substantial time, effort, and maintenance and
unfortunately, there are limitations on funding. In the case of Chew Jetty, the government does not cover
the maintenance of the individual houses, which causes the residents an increased burden to maintain
their houses following the government's strict rules. Hence, many residents opt to move to suburbs or
rural areas on the island.
Tourism-related land grabs and dispossessions are an issue that is common when it comes to heritage
sites. These land grabs may not be forcible evictions and physical relocation of residents but could
happen in more subtle ways, such as gentrification in economic and cultural displacement [7]. Therefore,
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4th International Symposium on Civil and Environmental Engineering
IOP Conf. Series: Earth and Environmental Science
1205 (2023) 012083
IOP Publishing
doi:10.1088/1755-1315/1205/1/012083
apart from losing direct access to their tangible properties, residents migrate away because they have
lost their spiritual and cultural ties to their ancestral lands, as well as irreplaceable intangible heritage
that they inherit from generation to generation.
The link between the built environment and safety is focused on the role of the built environment in
crime and social activities, as well as the impact of these social activities on the safety of the
environment. Due to the residents' out-migration, dilapidated and vacant premises affected the safety of
the heritage area. In the survey carried out in George Town heritage sites, there is an increased concern
over the security of heritage sites [2]. This is because, with the out-migration of residents, most heritage
sites will be empty at night. With the decrease of residents in Chew Jetty, the crime rates increase.
In a summary, out-migration due to reduced livability after tourism activities bloom since designation
of World Heritage Site has been a concerning issue over the years as relationships between residents
and their heritage cultural traditions were abandoned as well. As a result, residents will lose both tangible
and intangible heritage with the over-intervention of tourism activities.
3. Methodology
This research is carried out using the text analysis method, empirical research method, observations
through online photos and documentation videos, site visit and in-depth interviews with the residents
of clan jetties. General context and information of the entire Georgetown heritage area is studied to
form a solid research background. Historical context of the Clan Jetties is studied to understand the
transformation, evolution, and impact of WHS on Chew Jetty. Physical context of Chew Jetty is
studied to understand the current physical situation and condition of the site while sociocultural context
is analysed to retrieve the tangible and intangible heritage value of the Chew Jetty. Issues, threats, and
challenges are analysed to form a recommendation that could help solve the current problems faced
by the residents.
Chew Jetty is specifically selected to be studied in detail because it has the highest impact from
tourism activities and has the highest mix proportion as shown in figure 3. Besides, the circulation of
the visitor route and residential route are nearly 85% shared, which contributes to the livability of Chew
Jetty. Therefore, it is the most suitable jetty to be chosen to observe on the factors of livability and
demonstrate the possibility of new conservation planning that would foster better livability to the locals
in Chew Jetty.
Figure 3. Chew Jetty building use and circulation route.
4. Results
The selected site, Chew Jetty is studied and analysed in this section. The research of the site is done by
thorough site analysis including multiple contexts, which is i) physical context, ii) sociocultural context,
and iii) issues, threats, and challenges.
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4th International Symposium on Civil and Environmental Engineering
IOP Conf. Series: Earth and Environmental Science
1205 (2023) 012083
IOP Publishing
doi:10.1088/1755-1315/1205/1/012083
4.1 Physical context
Through research, it is found that the local authorities still marginalize the clan jetties until today, despite
all the recognition and outstanding heritage values. Regardless of the Special Area Plan set by UNESCO
which includes a series of planning interventions in vista management, green spaces, functional sewage
system, infrastructure upgrade, housing rehabilitation, etc, thus far, only a few of these plans were
executed [3]. Being marginalized has caused issues and challenges faced by the residents in Chew Jetty
ignored and worsened, reducing the residents’ liveability even more and slowly jeopardizing the
designation of George Town as a World Heritage Site.
After UNESCO designation, the Clan Jetties including Chew Jetty showed slight changes (figure 4).
The only changes that are noticeable from satellite images are the extension of jetty buildings and some
improved infrastructure. This is due to strict guidelines implemented after designation of World Heritage
Site to ensure the World Heritage Site status will not be jeopardized.
Figure 4. Changes of Clan Jetties over the years. (Satellite images adapted from
https://www.googlemap.com.my.
4.2 Sociocultural context
The existing programme in Chew Jetty is shown in figure 5. The illustration indicates that there is a
mixture of fully residential and mixed-use. The blue colour buildings represent houses that are fully
residential while the buildings in yellow colour are houses that are mixed-use. Owner of the mixed-use
building had transformed the porch of their house to set up a business area. Some of the house owners
run the business while some of them rent it to outsiders to earn extra money. Therefore, privacy and
safety of housing units that are in the middle of shops is hard to secure.
Figure 5. Existing programme in Chew Jetty.
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4th International Symposium on Civil and Environmental Engineering
IOP Conf. Series: Earth and Environmental Science
1205 (2023) 012083
IOP Publishing
doi:10.1088/1755-1315/1205/1/012083
To adapt to the tourism demand, residentials facing the primary walk have converted their front porch
and have opted for modern elements which has downgraded the architectural heritage value of the street
(figure 6). While this is going against the authenticity image which is prioritised in WHS, the locals felt
this is secondary compared to their needs to gain income.
Figure 6. Locals converted their house porch to shopfront to earn side income.
There are existing nodes in Chew Jetty, however, due to limited space for interaction, the jetty
residents maximize the usage of their porch, walkway, and temple. They usually gather at the temple
for chit-chat and watch television together at night, while some of the residents meet up at the walkway
or the porch for small talks, as their houses are close to each other.
4.3 Issues, threats, and challenges
The issues, threats and challenges in Chew Jetty are water pollution, fire hazard, high maintenance,
privacy and safety, no common facility, and ocean inundation. These issues are discussed in detail
below.
4.3.1 Water pollution
According to Interim National Water Quality Standard Malaysia (INWQS), a high concentration of total
Coliform and E. coli (from animal and human faeces) is dangerous for contact with the outer body.
Unfortunately, locations in Chew Jetty demonstrated the presence of both kinds of bacteria, with a
maximum value of 7.5 x 104 /100ml for E. coli. During an in-depth interview with Mr Chew from Chew
Jetty, he said that “We have no proper sewerage system until now. Although we know this is non-hygiene,
but we have no other choice but only adapt because government is not helping in improving the
sewerage system”. Another resident of Chew Jetty also mentioned that although there are lesser tourists
throwing rubbish directly into sea now, there are still some who does and this is beyond the control of
the residents.
4.3.2 Fire hazard and safety issues
Numerous fire incidents have occurred in the clan jetties in the past. In March 2021, a fire broke out in
two nearby shophouses and a shrine which is located about 6 meters away from Chew Jetty. The fire
destroyed about 40% of the two shophouses. This hazard is due to the current condition of jetties which
is due to the material and the physical planning of Chew Jetty as shown in figure 7.
As Chew Jetty are wooden dwellings that are erected next to one another, the local community is so
well knit that the residents often leave their doors open. The paths and access to the jetty are open 24
hours a day. Due to the increasing number of tourists visiting the jetties, robbers may easily pass as
tourists. As a result, thefts are prevalent, and this issue is more frequent due to the shared pathway
between the residents and tourists.
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4th International Symposium on Civil and Environmental Engineering
IOP Conf. Series: Earth and Environmental Science
1205 (2023) 012083
IOP Publishing
doi:10.1088/1755-1315/1205/1/012083
Figure 7. Current condition of jetties that is easily causing fire hazard (Street view images
adapted from https://www.googlemap.com.my).
5. Discussion
Culture is neither static nor fixed, it evolves across time and space, adapting to the circumstances of the
day [8]. Therefore, cultural heritage is not only purely inheritance of a generation to another generation
across time, but also has the capacity to change in contents and meaning [9]. In the case of George
Town, the status as a World Heritage Site should not be a limitation to growth but instead should allow
flexibility for it to evolve and transform under a certain framework.
In Chew Jetties, their ancestors built their houses' structure and wall façade using timber due to
limitation of building material choices and budget at that era. In the SAP, buildings in jetties are
categorised under “Category II” which require the maintenance of their original façade. Due to these
strict Government heritage conservation guidelines, the residents are not allowed to opt for other
structures [4]. However, the maintenance of timber structure stilts on water proved to be a burden to the
residents.
Chew Jetties had gone through multiple transformation and evolution even before being designated
as a World Heritage Site and this shows that it is only natural for a site to change to align with the current
needs [4]. To manage the transformation better, a framework could be designed to benefit the residents
in a more liveable, sustainable, and adaptive way to cater to future change. A speculation of future needs
in the area is needed to design an appropriate framework for the clan jetties to grow and transform.
6. Conclusion
Although the Chew Jetties are within the Georgetown heritage core zone, it is always marginalized and
disconnected from the others. There is no proper pedestrian walkway that link the core zone heritage
attractions to the jetties, unlike other heritage attractions. This has created a disconnection between the
inland heritage area and the Chew Jetties. Nevertheless, the government does not see the heritage value
and residents’ livability in jetties as important as the inland heritage area. Thus, the government does
not have plans to upgrade the living qualities of the residents as promised.
One way to increase livability in Chew Jetty is to increase awareness of importance of livability in
heritage sites among the public. This can be done with initiating public participation which is
fundamental in social growth within a community. The public participation would make plans or policies
more achievable and acceptable. Furthermore, public participation encourages support towards relevant
authorities as they have also played a part in the policy making. Within the community, the social
cohesion would also progress.
To improve livability for residents, incentives such as leasing abandoned units to business owners
could be initiated. Perhaps looking into adaptive reuse as an option to turn these units to small business
spaces that would attract young people to Chew Jetty.
As a conclusion, it is difficult for Chew Jetty to sustain its livability if dependant on the SAP. There
are several factors that need to be considered when drafting a proposal to uncover the potential in
crossover of old and new, in terms of the programme and architecture in the selected world heritage site
to achieve a symbiotic relationship between residents and other stakeholders.
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4th International Symposium on Civil and Environmental Engineering
IOP Conf. Series: Earth and Environmental Science
1205 (2023) 012083
IOP Publishing
doi:10.1088/1755-1315/1205/1/012083
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