It is acknowledged that “architecture is about people, culture, and land. However, the development of urban areas has raised many questions about the urban dream and the notion that it is “paved with gold.” The methodology of the study employs mixed method approach. According to the research, urban development is accelerating exponentially, and urban sprawl has occurred unpredictably, encroaching on traditional settlements. The new development on the outskirts of the old settlement is geared toward middle-income groups and is unattainable for the locals. Although the housing programme has been in place since 1968, it does not demonstrate the government’s total commitment and participation in assisting the Kelantanese urban population.

The Malay settlement at Kota Bharu is at the brink of disappearance. This paper employed mixed method indulging into the subject of the study. The finding illustrates the withering of Malay community along with the cultural transformation generated by development. The extent of this paper also reveals the life, essence, hopes and aspirations of the Malays in the process of urbanization. It is posited that the process of urbanization also tested the survival of the Malays, and one day the existence of the Malays may be the object of "museumification" in their own country. Keywords:  Kota Bharu; Malay settlement; Malay identity; urbanization eISSN: 2398-4287 © 2022. The Authors. Published for AMER ABRA cE-Bs by e-International Publishing House, Ltd., UK. This is an open access article under the CC BYNC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). Peer–review under responsibility of AMER (Association of Malaysian Environment-Behaviour Researchers), ABRA (Association of Behavioural Researchers on Asians/Africans/Arabians) and cE-Bs (Centre for Environment-Behaviour Studies), Faculty of Architecture, Planning & Surveying, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Malaysia. DOI: https://doi.org/10.21834/ebpj.v7i19.3203

Malaysia, as any other country, is constantly evolving in all facets of life, including architecture, economy, and culture. Despite that, the Malay settlement on the River's fringe remains an early settlement due to the Malays' strong connections to agriculture and socio-culture. The Malay's brilliance in establishing settlements on the river's fringe is among the leading reasons for this community's glorious history in the maritime world. However, today's shift in river activity has eroded the strong bond in Malay settlement. Therefore, affecting the  Malay settlements, which have a significant impact on their economic growth. The research methodology employs previous researchers' exploratory techniques focusing on the effects of urbanization, as well as socioeconomic data from 350 local respondents collected during the field survey in April 2019, and observation analysis information commonly used by architects to evaluate the context of the discussion. These include physical, social, cultural, and public amenities, and the data gathered then was amalgamated using IBM SPSS V26, supplemented by interview techniques and pictorial documentation. Mapping techniques are being used to generate existing settlements patterns by utilizing the Google Earth software. Finally, AutoCAD 2018 software is used to demonstrate the current settlement pattern in the case study situation. According to the results of the study, the pace of urbanization is speeding up and creeping into the Malay settlements. The destruction of river activities in order to change Malay settlement patterns and force them to follow or reject the current trend of urbanization.

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