Contested space revisited: a review in International Journal of Heritage Studies by Creighton Connolly February 9, 2022 – Posted in: Reviews

The rapid pace of urbanisation and development and its impacts on the material fabric of Asia’s largest cities has brought about a growing recognition of the need to conserve the tangible and intangible heritages of their historic neighbourhoods before it is lost completely. Contested Space Revisited explores this dynamic in the UNESCO World Heritage listed city of George Town, Malaysia, and the challenges faced in both achieving and maintaining its World Heritage status. The book’s author, Gwynn Jenkins, is an authoritative voice on these issues, having lived and worked in George Town since 1995. She therefore has intricate knowledge of the transformations that the city has experienced over the decades, and the often fraught politics involved in conserving its considerable heritage.

The book comprises two parts, the first of which is an updated version of the author’s earlier book: Contested Space, Heritage and Identity Reconstructions, Conservation Strategies within a Developing Asian City 2008, which was a publication with limited reach that evolved from the author’s PhD thesis, published by Lit Verlag. This part of the book documents George Town’s ‘contested space’ as World Heritage listing was pursued from the late 1990s. It also investigates the national and international influences on George Town’s heritage, including those of heritage conservation bodies, and examines their impact on local cultural identity and conservation practices. The second part re-examines the issues of George Town’s ‘contested space’ in the decade after its designation as a World Heritage Site in 2008. These include the impacts of population decline, site management challenges, urban development, varying cultural interpretations, gentrification and tourism. Between the two parts are over 30 pages of colour photographs and maps which illustrate points referred to throughout the text.

Contested Space Revisited reflects on important debates within heritage studies and policy, including the variable impacts of UNESCO listing on the sites that it is intended to protect. For example, Jenkins reflects on the status’ role in solidifying George Town as a world class tourist destination, which has resulted in numerous changes to the function and authenticity of its historic streets. These include the clustering of markets for selling tourist trinkets, traffic congestion due to large tour busses, and tourist gentrification which has resulted in the displacement of traditional residents and businesses. George Town is thus conceived as a ‘contested space’, caught between public and private interest, and contested by various industries that in different ways, depend on its ‘authenticity’ as a heritage site. However, Jenkins does not place all of the blame on UNESCO for these problems, but rather the lack of effective spatial planning, compliance and enforcement by relevant local stakeholders and site managers.

One of the main themes of the book is therefore that of heritage governance, covered most explicitly in Chapters 3 and 4, which explore various national development policies, aspirations and urban development plans, and their implications for heritage conservation in Penang. This includes a detailed review of the Federal government structure, political system and legal framework, as well as the Penang Government structure and the role of NGOs to assess the level of public participation in heritage governance. It also accounts for the often antagonistic relationships between these groups in heritage conservation, which often have different (and competing) aims, motivations and rationales. Chapter 9 returns to this theme, arguing for the importance of inclusion and participation of local communities to achieve the sustainable management of historic urban landscapes. This is an issue in Penang, among other places, where there is often a large gap between the ‘heritage visionaries’, politicians, and local communities, resulting in a lack of dialogue and cultural connection.

Another important theme is that of the consumption of George Town’s culture by tourists, neighbouring suburban communities, and other actors, all of whom have different interpretations of George Town’s heritage. Initially discussed in Chapter 6, this is an issue returned to in Chapters 10 and 11, which examine the socio-cultural shifts that took place between 2008–2018. These include the proliferation of cheap travel, social media, and the ‘self(ie) identity phenomenon’. These changes raise important questions about the extent to which traditional values have changed with the rise of a new generation of consumers and heritage consumption, and whether the significance of heritage sites have changed over time, for better or worse. Moreover, Chapter 10 addresses the threats of gentrification on the (in)tangible heritage of George Town, as a ‘majority of properties are not seen for their significance or historic value, but only as assets for return on investment’ (386).

Chapter 7 is focused on six case studies of conservation sites within George Town, selected to illustrate not only a range of building forms, but also a diversity of stakeholders involved in managing them, including conservationists, investors, and communities. These include iconic mansions, temples, and public spaces which have been subject to ongoing conservation projects. The discussion of these sites is then revisited in Chapter 10, discussing the changes after UNESCO World Heritage Listing in 2008. One of the central arguments arising from these case studies is that successful and sustainable conservation projects must be ‘culturally owned’, meaning that the end users of the site must have a cultural relationship with it, so as to maintain respect for the
authenticity of its (re)design and use.

One of the most important contributions of the book is for its message about the potential role of heritage conservation in fostering sustainable urban development. While an underlying theme throughout, this message is most clearly articulated in Chapter 11, which discusses the recurring large-scale developments that have been planned and sometimes (but not always) implemented in George Town since the KOMTAR ‘New Urban Center’ development in the 1990s. The most recent of these threats is the Penang Transport Master Plan (PTMP) and associated infrastructure projects planned to make Penang a ‘world class’ city (see Connolly 2019). However, as Jenkins observes, these projects stand in stark contrast to the aims of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which are espoused by the Penang State Government in their desire to become a ‘Green and Smart’ state. Along with many NGOs and civil society organisations in Penang, Jenkins argues that Penang could and should instead ‘return to the carbon-free tangible landscape of its roots’, which would allow the site to become a ‘liveable city once again’ (393). While this may give the impression of romanticisation of the past, Jenkins documents convincingly throughout the book how traditional planning and design practices were actually more climate appropriate and less energy intensive than current ones, which have posed immense socio- environmental impacts.

As the book documents places and processes that are subject to constant change, the insights arising from the tensions between urban development and heritage conservation do not end with this volume. Rather, it is intended to set the foundation for future studies examining the inter- relationships between people and place within living cultural heritage sites. This refers both to academic research on the relationship between heritage conservation, development and conservation, as well as in policy on the management of cultural heritage sites. These are topics that are of increasing relevance to rapidly developing cities of Southeast Asia and other world regions. The book will therefore be of value not only to Malaysianists and Penangites, but also to heritage policymakers, conservationists and academics from a variety of disciplines. Contested Space Revisited could also be used in postgraduate courses on heritage studies, conservation, urban planning and urban design. As a researcher on Penang and educator on these themes, this book will certainly be a frequent reference point in both my research and teaching for many years to come.

Reference
Connolly, C. 2019. “Worlding Cities through Transportation Infrastructure.” Environment and Planning A: Economy and Space 51 (3): 617–635. doi:10.1177/0308518X18801020.

Creighton Connolly
School of Geography, University of Lincoln, UK
cconnolly@lincoln.ac.uk
© Creighton Connolly

This review was originally published here.