The evolution of George Town’s urban morphology in the Straits of Malacca, late 18^th century-early 21^st century

Abstract

George Town is a significant World Heritage Site in the Straits of Malacca. This paper examined the evolution of urban morphology in George Town within geography, politics, economy, and culture in a horizontal dimension and layer upon layer in a vertical dimension. In this study, to ensure the objectives are achieved, qualitative methods will be applied including several approaches such as literature review, interpretation of archives chronologically, maps study, census returns, trade directories, photographs and postcards, and urban master plan study. The research is based on the analysis of urban construction, land use, economic development, and municipal policies. First, study the urban morphology in a specific period, and construct the inner layer structure in each period. Second, an analogy is drawn among the evolution of the urban morphology by time-scale, this section focusses on the historical conjunctures and events related to the urban construction. An important contribution can be made to the conservation and management of urban built heritage in George Town, on the one hand, explaining the evolution of urban morphology by examining George Town’s physical and spatial environment, and in turn, on the other hand, understanding about the physical and spatial environment by examining the urban morphology.

Key words： Malaysia; George Town; Pulau Pinang; Colonial port city; Urban morphology