The Values of Physical Landscape in Accommodating Social Sustainability of Traditional Malay Settlement

Abstract

Traditional settlements are one of the many valuable possessions in terms of history, customs, culture and architecture. However, modernization and progress have greatly altered the physical landscape and destroyed these important social spaces by replacing them with more modern public infrastructure. This study aims to investigate how the multiple physical aspects of public infrastructure and traditional settlement environment around Kuala Terengganu play a role in supporting the welfare of the community. This research using mixed-methodology, which includes observation, questionnaires and interviews. The size of the data was accumulated from 800 residents by using a questionnaire survey to recognize the relevant factors that shape social sustainability. The main findings shows the three main factors of public spaces; (i) sufficient facilities; (ii) accommodate a variety of activities; (iii) provide convenience to the public. Keywords: physical landscape; public spaces; public infrastructure; social sustainability; traditional settlement eISSN: 2398-4287© 2020. The Authors. Published for AMER ABRA cE-Bs by e-International Publishing House, Ltd., UK. This is an open access article under the CC BYNC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). Peer–review under responsibility of AMER (Association of Malaysian Environment-Behaviour Researchers), ABRA (Association of Behavioural Researchers on Asians) and cE-Bs (Centre for Environment-Behaviour Studies), Faculty of Architecture, Planning & Surveying, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Malaysia. DOI: https://doi.org/10.21834/ebpj.v5i15.1858.