Place Making in George Town, Malaysia

Chapter 3 provided several examples of the planning and management of urban heritage areas and their resources. This chapter describes the experience of George Town, where the government directed a top-down planning exercise, as expected of a World Heritage property. The process had significant government attention and investment, both financial and technical. The island of Penang in northern Malaysia (Figure 4.2) has hosted a strong tourism industry since the 1970s when the state government decided to develop the tourism industry to complement local manufacturing, as part of a strategy to generate jobs. This policy resulted in the development of the island’s north coast as beachside resorts, which until the mid-1990s made Penang a top tourism destination. This beachside resort model was copied widely throughout Southeast Asia, resulting in competition from neighbouring countries, including Thailand and Indonesia. Meanwhile, Penang’s own appeal was undermined, however, by over-development and pollution.

Managing Urban Heritage Areas in the Context of Sustainable Tourism, Tourism

In this chapter, the case examples relate to tourism, which encompasses tourism planning, visitor management, carrying capacity, destination management, marketing, interpretation, visitor experience and product development.

Responsible Tourism and the Conservation of Heritage in Asian Urban Areas

Fundamental to the conservation of heritage in urban areas is a planning, design, development and management process based on responsible and sustainable objectives and criteria. Culture and heritage are valued worldwide. The Universal Declaration on Cultural Diversity reminds us that the “defence of cultural diversity is an ethical imperative, inseparable from respect for human dignity” (UNESCO, 2001, Article 4). This is because cultural diversity “is one of the roots of development” (ibid, Article 3). Cultural heritage is esteemed and handed on to future generations because it contributes to local, national and international identity. While national identity is state sponsored, local identity emerges “naturally through the evolution of the history and cultural experience of the people” (Embong, 2011: 16). Cultural heritage is also valued as it is “the wellspring of creativity” (UNESCO, 2001, Article 7). Cultural heritage is made up of both physical (movable and fixed) and intangible elements that are successfully passed from one generation to the next. Movable physical elements include handicrafts, sculptures, paintings, archaeological objects, musical instruments and furniture. Fixed cultural dimensions include “houses, factories, commercial buildings, places of worship, cemeteries, monuments and built infrastructure such as roads, railways and bridges; physically created places such as gardens, mining sites and stock routes; and other places of historical significance such as archaeological sites” (Modern Heritage Matters, 2013); as well as historic districts and townscapes.

Creative District Bangkok, Changes at the Fringe

The George Town case study provided insights into the planning, design and management process for a World Heritage site, which carries with it a series of requirements for authentic development and management. The case study also provided an example of a situation in which significant resources were devoted to the conservation process using what was, at least initially, a top-down approach. In contrast, the Creative District Bangkok case study is a bottom-up approach that drew on scarce financial and human resources.

Urban Heritage Planning and Management in Asia, An integrated and responsible approach

The current situation in many urban heritage areas of Asia is one of economic gridlock and social stalemate, as a result of various factors, including weak governance, profit-driven investment, lack of technical knowledge and skills among those responsible for guiding urban development, lack of community engagement, unwillingness to invest in long-term asset augmentation, clashes in planning and management ideologies, numbers-driven mass tourism, lack of effective management mechanisms, the inability of key stakeholders to work together to reach common goals, and inadequate access to financial and human resources.

Managing Urban Heritage Areas in the Context of Sustainable Tourism, Heritage Conservation

There has been very little documentation of the Asian experience in planning and managing urban heritage areas, especially those experiencing tourism pressures. In order to better understand the challenges in these areas, 47 case examples have been authored by experienced practitioners who have worked in Asia over the past two decades in the areas of heritage conservation and/or cultural heritage tourism. The issues discussed in the case examples are those that the practitioners have identified as being of particular relevance to the heritage and sustainable tourism debate. Combined, these case examples provide geographic breadth and longitudinal depth, offering a comprehensive and credible body of data. In this chapter the case examples relate to heritage, which encompasses issues such as authenticity, integrity, heritage impact, historic urban landscapes, intangible heritage, tangible heritage and World Heritage sites.

Challenges in Conserving and Managing Heritage in Asian Urban Areas

This chapter builds on the ethical setting presented in Chapter 1. It discusses the challenges facing residents in Asian urban areas and provides an overview of the context in which urban planning, design and management in Asia occurs. Based on this analysis, the chapter then examines the problematic nature of the interface between heritage conservation and the planning, design and management of urban areas, including the impact of tourism in heritage environments. This discussion will provide the context for the case studies and examples that follow in Chapters 3, 4 and 5. Urban areas in Asia vary in size and include metropolitan areas, regional towns and large cities, as well as portions of cities, such as historic districts. They also differ in terms of geography, economic conditions, political systems and cultural and social systems. Given these differences, it is difficult to generalise about them. However, Asian urban areas have certain similarities, one of which is that their populations are growing at unparalleled rates (see Figure 2.2). Also, the populations of these fast-growing and rapidly-expanding urban areas are demanding infrastructure development at a pace that is often far beyond local economic, financial and human capacities. Such urban areas often have poorly-developed urban management structures and weak decision-making systems, however. Furthermore, these cities have planning and governance approaches that are neither comprehensive nor robust enough to deal with the growth and complexity of the urban situation. In the very largest cities, the limits of liveability have been reached and they are unsustainable in their current form.

Managing Urban Heritage Areas in the Context of Sustainable Tourism, Planning and Management

In this chapter, the case examples relate to planning and management, which encompasses urban planning, governance, implementation, holistic approaches, integration, carrying capacity and empowerment and participation.