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Restoring “genus loci” in Kampung Jawa, Historic City of Melaka Buffer Zone

Nadia A. Wahid1, Y. L. Lee2, Noor Adeeb Kamaluddin3, F. A. Saleh4, A. Amzar Abdullah5, E. Zarebidaki6, Z. Aliyas7, N. F. Nahad8, E. Anjomshoaa9, S. Z. A. Idid 10 ___________________________________________________________________________ 1.0

INTRODUCTION

Kampung Jawa is located within the buffer zone in the Historic City of Melaka covering an area of 6.5 acres and adjacent to the Melaka River where the development of Melaka town began. The history of Kampung Jawa can be traced back during the beginning of Melaka Sultanate era of 1400’s which originally was a settlement area mostly for fishermen and traders from Java. During the British era in 1850’s, the site flourished with the economic activities along the riverside and the two main roads that bounded the site from adjacent areas. It was a vibrant area with activities including a municipal market, a traditional bazaar together with arays of various kinds of informal activities. Informal activities such as hawkers and vendors scattered all over the area surrounding the market place and occupied most of the streets in the site. It used to be Melaka’s own commercial “genus loci”. Currently Kampung Jawa is deteriorating and declining after the demolishion of the municipal market in 1988. The site is now underdeveloped and failed to response to the market demands in which the redevelopment are fast taking place in the surrounding areas. However, some activities still survived albeit its rundown condition and competition from other rising commercial districts. Furthermore, the role of Melaka River as main transportation mean had decreased over the years, thus neglecting Kampung Jawa its potential for further development based on the river activities. Few setbacks further worsen the situation in Kampung Jawa including the relocation of nearby bus and taxi stations to a new site further away and fire tragedies that occurred twice between the period of 1960’s to 1990’s. The regeneration strategy in this project aims to bring back the site’s importance and develop its potential as commercial district while restoring it’s “genus loci”. This paper discusses the current conditions of Kampung Jawa and examines its potential for redevelopment while enhancing the “genus loci” that is dying. It also highlights the main issues pertaining to the state of decline of this area. The paper concludes by suggesting means of achieveing a harmonious relationship between existing built forms in the existing historic core zone and the buffer zones with new development proposals through urban regeneration approaches. 2.0

A REVIEW ON THE ATTRIBUTES OF “GENUS LOCI”

Literally, the term of “genus loci” is also known as “spirit of a place”. Volger and Vittori (2006) stated in past Roman myths a “genus loci” was the protective spirit of place and usually refer to the location’s distinctiveness. They believe in modern usage, the concept of “genus loci” refers to a 1-9 10

Master of Urban Design, Faculty of Built Environment, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, Skudai, Johor, Malaysia Professor and coordinator of the Urban Design and Conservation Research Unit, Faculty of Built Environment, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, Johor, Malaysia

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location characteristic and the ambience of a place. Karaman and Norberg-Schulz (1979) maintain that the “essence of a city” can be recognized on place’s character and attributes that differentiate it from other places and “lend its unique presence”. English Partnership (2000) implied “genus loci” as a part of urban design glossary in establishing feelings toward a place. Major components that are attributed to the “genus loci” are important elements of the place identity and generally characterized by the following attributes; linkages to the neighboring site, local character (special features), history and morphology of the past, natural features and social economic that shaped the particular local traditions and unique events (English Partnership, 2000). The understanding of the “spirit of place” can also be linked to Lynch (1960) ideas on city image, which specify “nodes” as strategic foci or activities concentration. He reveals that nodes, as opposed to landmark have varieties of active functions that allow people to experience and understand a place concisely. The components of “genus loci” complement with the quality of space and activities to increase social life and attract people to the space. Whyte’s (1980) perspective on place making are the “outdoor space design” to alleviate public engagement and community interaction to sustain a living place in the urban context. The public participations and interactions in/with a place creates the “sense of community” and ultimately the place will be well managed and subsequently benefit the local community. This can further led to the overall sustainability of the place. As a summary, in order to create a successful revitalization project in Kampung Jawa it is important to determine the significant contributing factors that affect the growth and decline of the place in the context of; people and activities, socio-economic factors, space definition and quality of urban fabrics. Based on the theoretical standpoint, returning, and preserving the “genus loci” of Kampung Jawa can be improved by understanding and integrating those components through the urban revitalization program. 3.0

MAJOR ISSUES IN KAMPUNG JAWA

Despite the declining condition, Kampung Jawa still remain resilience towards changes in which its identity as a famous traditional bazaar still retain strong among the local population. It is one of the main commercial districts in Historic City of Melaka especially during festive seasons such as Muslim fasting month of “Ramadhan”, the “Eid” (end of fasting celebration) and the Chinese New Year. There are more than 50 additional stalls that spilled over from the existing bazaar to the nearby Kee Ann Street during these seasons. The area is crowded and full of liveliness with various kinds of merchandises sold that attract visitors from everywhere to come and this is the identity of Kampung Jawa that is known to the locals. Local people can get almost everything and anything from this place. In the study the uniqueness of Kampung Jawa as been observed are attributed to the following characteristics: a. The shopping experience is notably more interesting in this area since goods can be purchase by the art of haggling and bargaining that allow a special kind of interactions between shoppers and traders and this makes the area attractive to the local community. b. Wide range of merchandises sold serve the local needs and the prices are relatively cheaper as compared to other places because of the informal type of trading premises. c. There are specialized goods being sold such as curtains, bridal equipments and fabrics that make people from far away willing to come to Kampung Jawa especially for those items. d. The location has been very strategic for commercial activities ever since it was founded. e. Variety of colors, sounds, hustle and bustle of hawkers and vendors activities accentuate the liveliness of this area, attract a high concentration of people to the area especially during the festive seasons. f. The site has one of few remaining traditional bazaars in Melaka.

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MELAKA

Figure 1: Top) Location of Melaka in Peninsula Malaysia. Right) Kampung Jawa area shown with the dark boundary located within the Buffer Zones of Historic City of Melaka.

Based on the site analysis and contextual study, it is identified that the site has several issues that needs to be addressed. These issues create a strong foundation in understanding the site before further improvements and proposals can be forwarded. The issues are related to; the “genus loci” that is dying, the imbalance physical development as compared to other parts of the buffer zones, improper utilization of land despite of high land value, poor linkages to adjacent sites (especially the core historic zone) owing to being in close proximity to the Melaka River that contributes to physical disconnection, lacks physical identity (poor “imageability”) because of its run-down conditions and social implications resulting from squalid tenements. Below are elaborations of some of these issues:

3.1

The Dying “Genus Loci”

The role of Melaka River as the main transportation route declined after the advent of road transport in early part of 1900’s and this had directly affected Kampung Jawa. In the past the area was a fishing settlement and when the municipal market was built in the late 1800’s fishermen brought their catch straight to the market to be sold. This has a strong influence in that other related shopping activities that thrived alongside the market creating a juxtaposition of various assortments of trading activities within the site. Over the years, Kampung Jawa had been a popular shopping area for the Historic City of Malaka. Even when the municipal market was demolished and the fires that destroyed the bazaar twice in its history of existence, the area remained popular and the bazaar (twice rebuilt), remained functional till today. New commercial districts emerged in the recent past years especially on the reclaimed site at Mahkota Raya but Kampung Jawa despite of its run-down condition remained impartial to the competition. Revitalization of the economic activities is essential so that Kampung Jawa can regain its past vibrancy as an active traditional commercial district. From the analysis of this study, it is identified that elements that contributed significantly in shaping the sense of place for Kampung Jawa must be inclusive of any development criteria if the place is to be revitalized. These elements include the traditional bazaar, hawkers and street vendors concentrated along the internal roads, the commercial activities in Jalan Kee Ann and Jalan Bunga Raya (the peripheral roads), and the close proximity of Kampung Jawa to the historic Melaka River. The revitalization scheme must therefore focus on enhancing and enriching all those elements that can help restore the elements of “genus loci” in this area.

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It is important to highlight that the most significant aspects of “genus loci” in Kampung Jawa are the informal street activities and the traditional bazaar, which had been parts and parcels of the character in Melaka as in all traditional towns in Malaysia. This is true especially the hawkers and vendors lining the streets in Jalan Kee Ann and Jalan Pasar Baharu become the main component of the street characters in Kampung Jawa. These activities add vivacity and charisma to Kampung Jawa and its vicinity since the past period of its existence. These activities generate economy for the local people and already been the source of income for the local petty traders for generations, providing part-time jobs that supplement the livelihood of the lower income group. While on one hand these petty traders are regarded well by the general public by their services offering good quality affordable goods, they are also seen as a public nuisance by the city authority due to the problems the activities of these petty traders that are associated with traffic congestions and the regular maintenance of the area’s overall cleanliness. There are various by-laws and regulation to manage these activities such as The Hawker By Law – 1934-1948. One distinguish character of hawkers is the itinerancy in which they will move about from place to place seeking for better exposure to customers. As for the traditional bazaar, there are less cumbersome to the local authority as the stalls are fixed at a location making it easier to manage. Being significant component of the “genus loci”, both the informal activities mentioned here must gain strong support from the city authority to help these activities to survive in order to procure and sustain the “genus loci” of the place.

3.2

The Physical Entity

As Kampung Jawa is located in the historic buffer zone, it has the potential to connect and integrate the historic core zone with the other parts of the city. The site is however, less developed and characterized by loose built form, less compact than the rest of the adjacent areas. The site is filled with structurally poor conditioned buildings and underutilized spaces, making the site perceptually unattractive and dilapidated. From the analysis, it is found that most of the buildings in Kampung Jawa are in poor conditions with lowest architectural significance value. It is necessary to reorganize the building massing in the site so as to ensure that the utilization of spaces are appropriate in the context of the land value and the potential to integrate the development of the adjacent site to the historic core zone.

Figure 2: Panoramic view of the site showing the loose forms due to parcels of voids in the area. The voids are the old location of municipal wet market which currently being used car park

3.3

Land Value and Development Potentials

The land value in Kampung Jawa is considered low despite being in a prime site in the Historic City of Melaka, with approximate value between RM700 (USD220) to RM1250 (USD400) per square metre. Jalan Bunga Raya, a main commercial road that borders the west part of Kampung Jawa has 68.8% much higher land value compared to the inner part of Kampung Jawa (Valuation and Services Department, Melaka, 2011). The land value of Kampung Jawa adversely are caused by several conditions that made it unfavourable for investors namely; being underdeveloped, unmanaged slum 4

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residences and some land conversion disputes. The declining property demand is apparent although a large proportion of Kampung Jawa faces the Melaka Riverfront where the potential for development taking advantage of the scenic riverfront townscape is very high. In this context, the idea of incorporating riverfront revitalization, introducing compact and mix-use development could help to increase current land values and economic generations. Through these attempts, the regeneration and revitalization of the “grey field” (the slum settlement) in Kampung Jawa could help in the apparent problem of land value. The implication of this new development can generate great revenue to local authority and local economy. Initiative in restoring the “genus loci” through urban regeneration will bring Kampung Jawa to benefit from this when utilizing this potential optimally.

3.4

Connectivity and Accessibility

Located at the old commercial district in Melaka, the site benefited in terms of connectivity and access to and from the adjacent areas except from the part where the Melaka River cuts through dividing the core historic zone with the buffer zone at Kampung Jawa. There is no direct vehicular access to Kampung Jawa but there are 2 pedestrian bridges that provide good linkages for pedestrian from the historic core zone to this site. Jalan Bunga Raya (east side) and Jalan Kampung Pantai (south side) are the busiest roads as they carry the highest traffic volume at all times. They are generally congested due to traffic flow disruption caused by loading and unloading from wholesaling activities, improper location of informal activities and some incidental narrowing of streets. These situations create bigger consequences where visitors tend to lose interest coming to shop in the site. At the same time, there need to be some enhancement in terms of proper provision of amenities and facilities for pedestrian to create a walking environment that is safe and conducive.

Figure 3: Traffic congestion caused by interruption of heavy vehicles loading and unloading activities on Jalan Kampung Pantai.

Figure 4: Inappropriate and unsafe location of informal activities, one of traffic interruptions.

Jalan Bunga Raya and Jalan Kee Ann is the life of the commercial district in this area. These streets have the most active frontage and accommodating few numbers of informal activities. This encourages good competition between the formal and informal street trades. With the nature of location preferences by the informal street traders, some streets become more active than the others, places occupied by stores and warehouses are generally not preferable. This is even worst during the night as some parts become ‘dead’ and unsafe for the users because of lack of activities.

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Figure 5: Left) Quiet part of the site as the shops is used as storage - inactive area; Right) Vast space for parking, underutilised space

Figure 6: Left) Cultural activity of the local inhabitants adds up to the character of the site. Right) Water dance integrated with the riverfront - a nighttime attraction on site.

3.5

Image and Identity

The poor state of the site is a big issue as it is part of the World Heritage City’s buffer zone. The less impressive state is attributed to the poor building condition, unmanaged and dirty environment, unorganized spaces and the squatter settlements of Kampung Jawa. As a result of this, visitors do not know what the site has to offer even though being very popular amongst the local as a special shopping district. There are however several components identified on site which have significant contribution to the visual quality of the site but are generally neglected. These are the Jambatan Jawa (footbridge 1), Jambatan Pasar (footbridge 2), Masjid Kampung Hulu (a historic mosque built in 1786), some shophouses with notable façade and the informal street activities that builds up to the character of the site. 3.6

The Local Community as Stakeholders

Local community groups are the immediate stakeholders any physical changes and new development in Kampung Jawa will directly affect them. Understanding community needs and views are essential as part of the initiative to get public participation in the design process. The survey inventory found 38 houses in poor dilapidated conditions and another 24 squatter houses are identified. Through this survey, 115 residents are affected and will be displaced when the revitalization project is being carried out and it is a prerogative of the developer to provide them with temporary shelters during process of development. They must also be provided the first priority to accommodate the new residential units once it is completed according to their affordability. Local people responded positively when asked about their opinion on the revitalization project but voiced their concern about the identity of Kampung Jawa and that the uniqueness of the shopping ambience be kept. This response is a clear indication that the local communities appreciate the proposed new changes as long as the unique traditional shopping setting is being preserved.

Figure 7: Left) Most of the buildings in Kampung Jawa are in poor condition, which are unsafe to inhabit and tarnish the image and identity of this place. Middle) An original vernacular style house is one of the significant elements that can be enhanced on site. Right) one of the potential opening that is part of the pedestrian linkages but is too narrow to be used for any purposes.

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Figure 8: Left) A unique building in Jalan Kee Ann that caught attention of most the street user. Middle) late transitional building that has interesting façade - one of the special characteristics of the site. Right) Kampung Hulu Mosque, being the oldest mosque in site acts as landmark to the area.

4.0

DEVELOPMENT PROPOSAL

One fundamental aspect that must be taken into account is that “genus loci” cannot be created and it is beyond any designer’s capability to design a place and expect “genus loci” can be transformed. It takes years and indeterminate prevailing criteria to create a place where “genus loci” can be transformed and the irony is that, no one can assume what kind of criteria or the probable formula that will add up to make the transformation. Because the “genus loci” is all about a “sense of a place” therefore it is only wise that for an area where there is a strong sense of a place which is generally recognize by its inhabitants, users and (as well as) sensitive observers (designers), care must be taken to ensure that the existing characters are not taken for granted and step must be taken towards planning for its sustainability. It is therefore important that in Kampung Jawa where the “genus loci” is often strongly felt by the people who are familiar with the area but at the same time fearing the slow untimely death of it, care must be taken to enhance the significant character of the place so as to revive the “genus loci” that is dying. It is not merely through the act of beautification (which is insufficient and superficial) but a more comprehensive approach which is needed to include economic and social revitalization over the physical enhancements that are essential as part and parcel of the overall approach. Focusing on its significant elements such as the traditional bazaar and the related commercial activities, the economic revitalization is crucial to prolong and sustain the place. Apart from offering job opportunity to the local people, it strengthens the function of this place in supporting the local economy to grow and be able to compete and complement with the rest of the city. The second most important approach for Kampung Jawa is rehabilitation as the place accommodates local people affected directly or indirectly from the growth and changes. Rehabilitation takes into consideration of displaced people in Kampung Jawa while managing them with a minimal intervention, respecting to the context and their daily businesses. Having residents to carry on living in the site is important as they retain the vibrancy and liveliness of the city. The constant demand for facilities and amenities enable local business to grow in Kampung Jawa. More shops with variety of merchandises, facilities and services will emerge that not only serve the local residents but a wider range of consumer threshold. These two approaches work interactively in a unique place like Kampung Jawa. The place, the people, the socio-cultural aspects requires integration of revitalization and rehabilitation to strengthen and restore Kampung Jawa’s “genus loci”. Based on the identified site issues, three alternative design proposals were suggested to attain potential regeneration and revitalization of Kampung Jawa. In this stage, each initial conceptual idea ultimately used to transform and integrate into the master plan design. Consequently, project costing is undertaken to compute the feasibility of a project which relative to design viability and profitable appraisal. In particular, there are design guidelines integrated to determine and underpin future development form, architectural style, riverfront revitalization, landscape and open spaces design.

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Therefore, design outcomes and guidelines guide as significant tool to improve the slum and grey field land of Kampung Jawa.

4.1

Alternative Proposal 1:

The master plan concept suggested a theme called “the theatre of life” to raise the aspiration by connecting people, spaces, and activities collectively to shape a livable city. The key strategy is to improve the cultural and socio-economic vitality to enhance the spirit of place. Other complement principle development encompasses; firstly to reinforce physical and visual connections by improving choice of routes for the site. Secondly, to improve the imbalanced development by introducing several mixed-used developments especially residential premises to house the displaced slum communities and new resident to strengthen the local population in the site. Thirdly, the approach is to strengthen the linkages between the open spaces within commercial area and pocket spaces and fourthly, to provide adaptive reuse of heritage building to improve local economic activities. The proposal also includes variety of activities in public open spaces, pedestrian connections, commercial or mix-use developments, entertainment, event celebrations, local handicraft display, bazaar as well as street vendor or hawker as a crucial attempt to revive the local “genus loci” and the heritage identity of the site. Thus, all new developments should be in respect to the existing Melaka historical riverfront, architectural character, skyline, visual qualities, and cultural traditions. 1

Figure 9: 1) Master plan: proposal alternative one; 2) Vendor corner and pedestrian mall is engaging street and public activities along this leisure corridor; 3) Drama square and memorial wall picture exhibits the nostalgia of Kampung Jawa in the past; 4) Kampung Pantai pocket park provides public a green amenities and space for resting and recreational and 5) Clog maker demonstrated traditional wooden clog to visitor in the gallery.

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Figure 10: Aerial view shows existing and new development at riverfront, gallery, bazaar, and green open spaces of Kampung Jawa.

Local people involvement in the live-theatrical experiences help foster the returning of “genus loci”. All vibrant social cultural activities constitute the “stage of life” in Kampung Jawa. There are few important design spaces such as galley, bazaar, riverfront, pedestrian mall and green open spaces (Refer to Figure 1.0), which make meaningful contributions to the spirit of the place. A gallerium is proposed and situated facing the riverfront accommodates heritage exhibition halls for cultural

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performances and to market traditional handicrafts. Local handicrafts making can be demonstrated at the galleria to include the making of wooden clogs, special handmade tin-ware, and household utensils and this will inevitably increase local income, protect, and preserve local culture and heritage of Kampung Jawa. In addition to this, the bazaar remains as traditional shopping market allowing people to get varieties of cheap merchandises. New pedestrian mall is connected Jalan Bunga Raya to new portal gateway at Jalan Kampung Hulu. This pedestrian mall lined by old shophouses and commercial buildings created walking experiences with linking vendor corner, Drama Square, and memorial wall. Most open spaces proposed function as neighborhood green spaces with provision of landscape amenities for outdoor recreational and attract informal trades. 4.2

Alternative Proposal 2:

Alternative two focuses mainly on catering the needs of the local communities. Seeking to create a conducive place where people can live, work, and shop comfortably with proper provision of amenities. The main attention emphasizes on economic revitalization and enhancement of the physical entities to upkeep and enhances the “genus loci”. The concept aims to re-live and revitalize Kampung Jawa as the main and favourable shopping place for the local people. “First Neighbourhood Shopping Centre”, acts as a new attraction that is self-contained and complementing with the adjacent areas.

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Figure 11: 1) Master plan of alternative two. The aim for ‘first neighborhood shopping centre’ is to create a place for people to live-work and shop. Integration of these elements creates a lively city; 2) Usage of corresponding landmarks to strengthen the visual linkage to a destination. Elements are put as an introductory to a bigger attraction. As an example, small stalls along a pedestrian way as an entrance marker to the shopping mall; 3) Another new pedestrian way created to improve the pedestrian access to site. The entrance is assisted with own identity and linked with to an exciting use.

Figure 12: Bird’s eye view of the ‘First Neighbourhood Shopping Centre’ from Jalan Kampung Pantai.

This concept stresses on four main approaches. They are; reconnect, rearrange, rehabilitate, reuse and enhancement. Reconnecting focuses on improving the visual and physical permeability and managing the traffic circulation within site. The approach takes into consideration all modes of transport and strong emphasis is given to the pedestrian movement in order to keep the traffic impact at minimal level on the buffer zone of a conservation area. New accesses are opened for easier movement. Rearrangement of building use and land use is highly essential in order to optimize the high land

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value. This approach also incorporates new and existing uses with high accessibility and exposure especially for the commercial use to set an attractive and highly feasible strategic locations and fully optimizing the land availability of the site. It is important to incorporate users to the new development and people are encouraged to live in the city centre. This will support the growth of the new developments while at the same time, keeping the city alive. The residents are the people who will take care of the place; thus a residential district is maintained. The existing residents, who are displaced, are relocated in the new residential areas within the site. A variety of residential areas are created to provide all types of people. Pedestrians are experiences are emphasized with the attention given at the ground level. Improvement of pedestrian linkages, shop frontages, openings between buildings, junctions and street activities ensures that not only the visual quality are improved, they also help in creating an active area. Existing landmarks and special features are incorporated with new elements by connecting all destinations which functions as visual cues for the benefit of way finding, thus improving the visual permeability. Through this, the function of the place is strengthened parallel with the site’s character. 4.3

Alternative Proposal 3:

This proposal encourages the economic revival through channelling of revenues to enhance the existing condition of Kampung Jawa. The idea is to revitalize the local economic through the introduction of new uses or function and redesigning spaces in order to attract investors and enhance the current economic activities of the site. Through economic revitalization, the aims to maintain the cultural significance of place can be achieved that includes the aspects of “genus loci”, social, aesthetic and historic aspects of the area. The rehabilitation approach incorporates the ideas of adaptive reuse, restoration and reconstruction, and design that can bring more people to live in city centre are applied. The development principles underpinning the proposal are; enriching the existing, be it physical or heritage, local economic revival, connecting activities visually and physically, creating lively and vibrant district and achieving balance in the development. The balance refer to the harmonic balance between the existing activities and new activities introduced and the balance of physical development especially the control of building massing, heights, architectural design and the intervention of development between the core zone and the new part of the city. The development theme encompasses the idea of creating a series of unique and different experiences to the visitor/tourist in each of the areas designed. The proposal aims to let people experience few thematic experiences as can be summarized in the figure 13 below. The intention of “enriching the experiences” are developed through redesigning of spaces, building uses and the introduction of few “commercial magnets” that can attract people to come and experience the area. There are six main development components which are the riverfront development, cultural and arts centre, bazaar complex, mix-used buildings, housing and recreational areas including the river and spaces between buildings. All these magnets will be supported by the people living in the area and by the visitors of the area. The hawkers and vendors activities will occupied the designated spaces such as at the intersection, walkways connecting each magnets and points of interests.

Figure 13: Series of difference experiences that visitor is expected to have within the site.

Figure 14: Commercial magnets (blue color) were supported by recreational activities, residential & people visiting this area. All activities were interconnected with each other whereas the informal activities take place in between all these magnets.

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In order to enhance the “genus loci”, traditional bazaar is emphasized through the creation of one main pedestrian axis that will be the main pedestrian route that intersects within the bazaar complex. This main walkway acts as special visual corridor that has a direct vista to one of the important local landmark in site, namely Kampung Hulu Mosque. This main walkway also connects all major open spaces and important places within the site and will ensure the route is high significant. The bazaar will ensure that traditional activities of the site continue to survive and expand in the future. 2

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Figure 15: 1) Master plan for Alternative Proposal 3; 2) Sketches of direct vista towards mosque in main pedestrian corridor; 3) Sketches show the redesigning of underutilized space; 4) 3D modeling for the proposed development components that will infill the existing space available for development.

5.0

CONCLUSION

The most important aspect of this exercise is to ensure that all these activities that once flourished in the site are restored and preserved. They relate back to the local community in term of supporting local economy, sustaining the local culture (food and tradition) while strengthening the bond between the locals resulted from frequent interactions that happened daily. In other word, the association of local people with the business and economic activities in the site are also the important aspect that should be taken into consideration in restoring the “genus loci” in Kampung Jawa. Furthermore, the presence of local people creates special character to Kampung Jawa in which it has potential to attract more visitors. The identity and function of Kampung Jawa is revitalized through approaches that touches on the aspects of economic, environmental, socio-cultural apart from the physical enhancements per se. Supporting this idea, these development proposals will help to strengthen the core idea of economic and urban revitalization through local identity enhancement, physical and visual connections, and convivial public open spaces integrated with the enhancements of local formal and informal activities. On top of that, the revitalization proposals should be backed up with public participation in managing and sustaining the place after new developments are introduced. Kampung Jawa is dynamic; changes

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are inevitable, but the new developments should be allowed in respect with the old entities so that the place may grow, sustain, and remain relevant for future generations. Kampung Jawa, as one of the significant entities in the commercial district of Melaka, it has survived through the test of times. Although the identity and function had declined due to several challenges and problems, the revitalization and regeneration of economic activities are crucial to ensure that the site will fluorish once again. This paper have highlighted the pertinent issues and its implications towards the site, as a vital step in formulating appropriate design suggestions in respect to the site context. Enhancement and improvements proposed are intentively towards strengthening the Outstanding Universal Values that Melaka has. Continuing with a careful measure, the site’s “genus loci” may be prolonged and the site will remain relevance for more incoming years.

6.0

REFERENCES

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