Nurul Syala Abdul Latip

Functional Dimension at ‘Kuala Lumpur Waterfront’

Abstract Kuala Lumpur waterfront used to be busy with activities when it was once a trading post for the export of tin. The activity at the waterfront has changed over the years along with the city development. This research investigates the level of contextual integration between the waterfront and the urban rivers in terms of its functional dimension. Technique adopted is field observations (building use survey and time interval observation). All researched zones have medium level of contextual integration which depends much on the continuity of activities, their positioning location, accessibility and the provision of space and facilities.

Sustainable historic waterfront development: Approaches and dilemma of two UNESCO world heritage sites in Malaysia

Urban waterfronts are unique cultural resources which have great potential to improve economic development, public enjoyment and civic identity. This issue is more predominant in the historic areas where the once active waterfront ceases to function in its traditional capacity. George Town and Melaka were both jointly awarded the UNESCO world heritage site in 2008 because of the similarity in issues and the functions they served in the past. The waterfronts of the cities were included in the heritage sites’ boundaries and the approaches taken to the waterfront development have an important influence on their sustainability. This paper examines the approach to waterfront regeneration in the major cities of Malaysia including the two aforementioned historic cities. A mixed method approach has been adopted for the research using field observations, morphological study, in depth interview, questionnaire survey and content analysis of policies in government documents to collect data for the analysis. The research attempts to compare the differences in approaches between the two heritage cities and their implications in relation to their sustainability. The research discovers that the level of contextual integration is an important consideration for sustainable waterfront regeneration for the historic cities.

How a city lost its waterfront: tracing the effects of policies on the sustainability of the Kuala Lumpur waterfront as a public place

Kuala Lumpur owes its beginnings to the two rivers that transect its historic core but it lost its waterfront as a public place due to rapid urbanisation. The rivers were used as flood mitigation measures with limited visual and physical access to the public. This paper traces the effects of policies on the waterfront development of the city by focusing on the factors that contributed to its disappearance. It employs a qualitative approach by analysing the riverfront physical conditions based on old maps and photographs as well as government documents and in-depth interviews with local authority officials, architects and developers.