Living on Display: Negotiating Gentrification and Cultural Resilience in Chew Jetty, George Town, Malaysia

Residents of Chew Jetty, a historic clan settlement within George Town's UNESCO World Heritage Site, exhibit 'negotiated resilience' to counter commercial gentrification without erasing cultural heritage. This phenomenon challenges the notion that economic opportunism leads to cultural displacement, instead showing how communities adapt through spatial regulation and ritual bifurcation. The study highlights resident agency as crucial for sustainable heritage conservation, contrasting with traditional facade-oriented planning frameworks. Qualitative case studies, representing a significant majority of the population, reveal 'commercial gentrification from below,' driven by economic incentives but mitigated by community-led strategies to preserve intangible heritage.

Hin, C. C., & Mabahwi, N. A. (2026). LIVING ON DISPLAY: NEGOTIATING GENTRIFICATION AND CULTURAL RESILIENCE IN CHEW JETTY, GEORGE TOWN, MALAYSIA. Planning Malaysia, 24. https://doi.org/10.21837/pm.v24i43.2099