City planners must design with vision

IN a city as historically rich and spatially intricate as George Town, Penang, conservation is often mistaken for simply freezing a place in time.

But look beyond the World Heritage core, and you’ll find compelling evidence that planning for the future doesn’t mean neglecting the past; it means shaping it with imagination and intent. The Seven Streets Precinct in George Town offers a compelling case study of foresight in urban planning. Once a working-class residential enclave laid out by the City Council in the late 19th century, the area is now experiencing a quiet renaissance, thanks to planning decisions made decades ago. The City Council named this district the Seven Streets Precinct because the local Chinese community referred to the streets numerically whereas the official street names were given after senior British administrators of that period.