Spatial changes in Royal Malay Town: The Inheritance of ‘Kota’ for Sustainability of Urban Conservation Practices

Abstract

The continuous degradation of historical urban fabric in traditional towns has hindered efforts to implement sustainable urban conservation practices. Considering the dynamic and complexities of urban areas, which encompass multiple relationships to geographical settings, functional economic and socio-cultural factors, understanding the contextual formation and growth therefore becomes an important consideration in any development project. However, analysing the evolutionary process requires systematic structuring at each hierarchical scale, temporal dimension and level of morphological elements. Thus, posing a significant challenge in extracting the organic growth development of traditional towns. This study attempts to develop a methodological framework for integrated urban morphological analysis that guides the analytical process of spatial changes in Royal Malay town. A case study at Old Town Centre of Kota Bharu, Kelantan was conducted with an emphasis on structuring the case and plan- unit analysis based on diachronic and synchronic comparisons. The findings unveiled the inherent morphogenetic characteristics of Royal Malay towns central to the spatial structure of Kota, which demarcate the fixation line of the growth process and imperative to the functioning system for spatial resilience. This implies that developing a systematic methodological and mapping analysis process aids in providing a clear and responsive strategy in managing rapid spatial transition. This study brings forward the bridging of multidisciplinary knowledge on urban history, geography, design, planning and management to assist in the formulation of comprehensive development guidelines and policies that emphasize an explicit morphological perspective.