REVISIT SHOPHOUSES IN KOTA BHARU: A CULTURAL STUDY

Abstract

One of the major components of the old town centre of Kota Bharu is the shophouses. The heritage features are diverse from another town centre due to local characteristic influences. This paper aims to revisit the old shophouses in Kota Bharu city centre from the British Colonial up to the present day, in order to examine the cultural heritage along rows of abandon shophouses. The data in this paper were analysed using document analysis and site survey to examine the cultural issues of old shophouses in Kota Bharu. The document inclusive of diverse literature reviews and Rancangan Tempatan Kota Bharu 2020 and the study of existing physical form at site in a way to understand the area occupied by the historic shophouses that involves research and analysis of the social, historical, climatic, geographic, legal and infrastructure aspects of a location. In particular, it discusses factors toward the declination of cultural value in the city centre. The study concluded that several factors relating to it are abandoned shophouses, lack of activities, rapid modernisation and poor awareness. Moreover, our findings indicated that Cultural values that enveloped the old shophouses in Kota Bharu should not be denied yet having potential to attract tourist and benefit the locals in return. It is important to ensure the sustainability and survival of the area today because Kota Bharu town centre is one of 5 heritage cities (others; Melaka, Georgetown, Ipoh and Taiping) that possessed significant architectural styles and town planning in Malaysia.