Balancing Tradition and Development: Preserving the Skyline of Kampung Baru Urban Village, Kuala Lumpur
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.24191/bej.v23i2.9582Keywords:
Skyline, Preservation, Urban Village, Cultural landmark, Street characterAbstract
Urban skylines constitute an important dimension of urban identity, functioning not only as visual profiles but also as cultural landscapes where memory, heritage, and development intersect. However, existing scholarship has largely focused on iconic city skylines and high-rise aesthetics, with limited attention to urban village skylines as living heritage environments. This study addresses this gap by examining Kampung Baru, Kuala Lumpur, a historic Malay enclave where traditional houses, mosques, food streets, vegetation, and village-scale streetscapes coexist with surrounding high-rise development. The aim is to investigate how Kampung Baru’s cultural identity, as expressed through its urban village skyline, can be safeguarded within ongoing urban growth pressures. The objectives are (i) to examine how skyline conditions (traditional, mixed, and modern-dominant) and cultural landscape elements contribute to Kampung Baru’s identity, and (ii) to propose integrated preservation strategies balancing heritage conservation with contemporary urban development. Methodologically, the study adopts a convergent mixed-methods design underpinned by convergent triangulation, integrating site observations (VOP1–VOP10), stakeholder interviews (N=4), and a survey (N=55). Data were analysed separately and then integrated to enable cross-validation between spatial conditions, institutional perspectives, and community perceptions, strengthening interpretive reliability. The findings reveal three (3) skyline conditions—traditional-dominant, balanced traditional–modern, and modern-dominant—showing how high-rise development reshapes heritage visibility and cultural continuity. The study recommends height control, preservation zoning, restoration of traditional houses, landscape management, and community-based planning. It reframes the urban village skyline as a living cultural archive and supports heritage-sensitive urban development aligned with Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), Goal 11 for sustainable cities and communities.
References
Abd Malek, M. I., & Mahat, N. (2020). Transformasi tipologi bangunan kediaman di perkampungan bandar: Kajian kes Kampung Baru, Malaysia. Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia & Universiti Teknologi MARA.
Abd Razak, S. H., & Yin, I. (2021). Assessment on the implementation of plot ratio as a development control tool in George Town, Penang. Planning Malaysia, 19(15). https://doi.org/10.21837/pm.v19i15.924
Ahmed, M., & Ashour, A. (2023). The effect of architectural landmarks on a skyline and the mental images of the cities of ancient civilizations. AIP Conference Proceedings, 2651(1), Article 020067. https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0106893
Akbarishahabi, L. (2021). Examining the relationship between enclosure ratio of street and skyline’s complexity. ICONARP International Journal of Architecture and Planning, 9(2), 851–873. https://doi.org/10.15320/ICONARP.2021.183
Attoe, W. (1981). Skylines: Understanding and molding urban silhouettes. John Wiley & Sons Inc.
Bachek, S. H., Zainudin, H., & Haron, N. A. (2014). Preservation of culture and built heritage in new urban development: A case study on Little India Brickfields, Kuala Lumpur. International Proceedings of Economics Development and Research, 74(1), 48–52.
Biddulph, M., Franklin, B., & Tait, M. (2003). From concept to completion: A critical analysis of the urban village. Town Planning Review, 74(2), 189–210. https://doi.org/10.3828/tpr.74.2.2
Booth, C. G. (2012). Revisiting the image of the city: Exploring the importance of city skylines.
Bostanci, S. H. (2021). Researching for Methods in Visual Analyses of Urban Skylines Kent siluetlerinin görsel analizinde yöntem araştırması. International Journal of Architecture and Design, 7(2), 161–173. https://doi.org/10.17932/iau.arch.2015.017/arch_v07i2005
Byrne, D. (2022). A worked example of Braun and Clarke’s approach to reflexive thematic analysis. Quality & Quantity, 56, 1391–1412. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11135-021-01182-y
Campbell, S., Greenwood, M., Prior, S., Shearer, T., Walkem, K., Young, S., Bywaters, D., & Walker, K. (2020). Purposive sampling: Complex or simple? Research case examples. Journal of Research in Nursing, 25(8), 652–661. https://doi.org/10.1177/1744987120927206
Chen, J., Park, H., Fan, P., Tian, L., Ouyang, Z., & Lafortezza, R. (2021). Cultural landmarks and urban landscapes in three contrasting societies. Sustainability, 13(8), 4295. https://doi.org/10.3390/su13084295
Creswell, J. W. (2009). Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed-methods research. Microbe Magazine, 4(11), 485–485.
Dong, W., Han, W., Xu, Y., & Wang, J. (2025). Evaluation of the contemporary cultural landscape based on multi-dimensional value coupling: Case study on the Grand Canal, Hangzhou section. PLOS ONE, 20(8), e0330248. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0330248
Franklin, B., & Tait, M. (2002). Constructing an image: The urban village concept in the UK. Urban Studies, 1(3), 147–309. https://doi.org/10.1177/147309520200100304
Gao, Y., Shahab, S., & Ahmadpoor, N. (2020). Morphology of urban villages in China: A case study of Dayuan Village in Guangzhou. Urban Science, 4(2), 23. https://doi.org/10.3390/urbansci4020023
Gassner, G. (2009). Elevations, icons, and lines: The city abstracted through its skylines.
Hanafiah, M. H., Amir, A. F., Kamal, N. N. S., & Saharuddin, N. N. (2021). Sustainable urban tourism development and quality of life: A case of Kampung Baru, Kuala Lumpur. Polish Journal of Sport and Tourism, 28(3), 27-34. https://doi.org/10.2478/pjst-2021-0017
Hashim, H. S., Aziz, S., & Razy, N. M. R. (2017). Urban revitalisation for a city's soul: The case of Kampung Baru. Kajian Malaysia, 35(Supp. 1), 119–140. https://doi.org/10.21315/km2017.35.Supp.1.7
Hashim, N. R., & Yaacob, N. M. (2011). Urban landscape changes in Kampung Baru, Kuala Lumpur, from 1969 to 2004 as observed on maps. Journal of Design and Built Development, 9, 49–58.
Hiçsönmezler, İ., Cilasun Kunduraci, A., & Yilmaz, A. (2024). To look or not to look: Reading user behavior in the spatial atmosphere of the city skyline of Izmir. Environment, Space, Place, 16(1), 51–82. https://doi.org/10.1353/spc.2024.a951610
Hou, Y., Quintana, M., Khomiakov, M., & Yap, W. (2024). Global streetscapes: A comprehensive dataset of 10 million street-level images across 688 cities for urban science and analytics. ISPRS Journal of Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing, 215, 216–238. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.isprsjprs.2024.06.023
Jayne, M., & Bell, D. (Eds.). (2004). City of quarters: Urban villages in the contemporary city (1st ed.). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315260181
Karimimoshaver, M., Parsamanesh, M., Aram, F., & Mosavi, A. (2021). The impact of the city skyline on pleasantness; state of the art and a case study. Heliyon, 7(5), e07009. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2021.e07009
Kayikci, M., & Sehlikoglu, S. (2025). Heritage in the margins: Forgetting, remembering, rewriting. International Journal of Heritage Studies. https://doi.org/10.1080/13527258.2025.2543747
Keire, L., & Vugule, K. (2022). The importance of silhouette in the perception of the urban landscape: Saldus example. Landscape Architecture and Art, 21(21), 30–40. https://doi.org/10.22616/j.landarchart.2022.21.03
Khalid, M. (2024, November 21). How City Skylines Influence Our Emotions. Medium. https://medium.com/@mubarakhalid61/how-city-skylines-influence-our-emotions-eeb148d58f60
Kiger, M. E., & Varpio, L. (2020). Thematic analysis of qualitative data: AMEE Guide No. 131. Medical Teacher, 42(8), 846–854. https://doi.org/10.1080/0142159X.2020.1755030
King, J. R. (2020). The political economy of urban redevelopment in Southeast Asia: Kampung Baru, Malaysia (Master's thesis). Leiden University. Retrieved from https://studenttheses.universiteitleiden.nl/access/item%3A2700138/view
Kochan, D. (2015). Placing the urban village: A spatial perspective on the development process of urban villages in contemporary China. International Journal of Urban and Regional Research. https://doi.org/10.1111/1468-2427.12287
Kong, F., Chen, J., Middel, A., Yin, H., Li, M., Sun, T., Zhang, N., Huang, J., Liu, H., Zhou, K., & Ma, J. (2022). Impact of 3-D urban landscape patterns on the outdoor thermal environment: A modelling study with SOLWEIG. Computers, Environment and Urban Systems, 94, 101773. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compenvurbsys.2022.101773
Kropf, K. (2017b). The Handbook of Urban Morphology. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781118747711
Lee, J., & Baccelli, F. (2026). The skyline process: Quantifying sky visibility in 3D urban environments. arXiv. https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2603.26072
Li, L. H., Lin, J., Li, X., & Wu, F. (2014). Redevelopment of urban villages in China: A step towards an effective urban policy? A case study of Liede Village in Guangzhou. Habitat International, 43, 299–308. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.habitatint.2014.03.009
Linrothe, R., & Poll, H. (Eds.). (2016). Visible heritage: Essays on the art and architecture of Greater Ladakh. Studio Orientalia.
Lynch, K. (1964). The image of the city. MIT Press.
Marpaung, B. O. Y. (2017). Socio-cultural impacts in the formation of urban village. IOP Conference Series: Materials Science and Engineering, 180(1), 012083. https://doi.org/10.1088/1757 899X/180/1/012083
Niković, A., Manić, B., & Čolić Marković, N. (2025). Exploring the role of urban identity in sustainable development: The conceptual framework and methodological steps for its application in Serbia. In REAL CORP 2025: Proceedings of the 30th International Conference on Urban Planning, Regional Development and Information Society (pp. 1–10). REAL CORP. https://doi.org/10.48494/REALCORP2025.0137
Nowell, L. S., Norris, J. M., White, D. E., & Moules, N. J. (2017). Thematic analysis: Striving to meet the trustworthiness criteria. International Journal of Qualitative Methods, 16, 1–13. https://doi.org/10.1177/1609406917733847
Oktay, D. (2024). Sustainable urbanism and identity: A holistic perspective for future cities. Perspectives in Architecture and Urbanism, 1(2), Article 100016. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pau.2024.100016
Pan, W., & Du, J. (2021). Towards sustainable urban transition: A critical review of strategies and policies of urban village renewal in Shenzhen, China. Land Use Policy, 111, 105744. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landusepol.2021.105744
Puspitasari, A. W., & Kwon, J. (2020). A reliable method for visibility analysis of tall buildings and skyline: A case study of tall buildings cluster in Jakarta. Journal of Asian Architecture and Building Engineering, 1(12), 1–12. https://doi.org/10.1080/13467581.2020.1787839
Ripp, M., & Clifford, J. (2025). Heritage-based urban development. Encyclopedia, 5(2), 82. https://doi.org/10.3390/encyclopedia5020082
Rosnan, M. A. F. Bin, Awaluddin, Z. L., Aminuddin, A. M. R., & Shukri, S. M. (2021). Urban sociable streetscape: A review on Jalan Raja Alang, Kampung Baru, Kuala Lumpur. Malaysia Architectural Journal, 3(3), 1–21.
Sarihan, E. (2021). Visibility model of tangible heritage: Visualization of the urban heritage environment with spatial analysis methods. Heritage, 4(3), 2163–2182. https://doi.org/10.3390/heritage4030122
Sharma, L. R., Bidari, S., Bidari, D., Neupane, S., & Sapkota, R. (2023). Exploring the mixed methods research design: Types, purposes, strengths, challenges, and criticisms. Global Academic Journal of Linguistics and Literature, 5(1), 3–12. https://doi.org/10.36348/gajll.2023.v05i01.002
Shehata, A. M. (2022). Current trends in urban heritage conservation: Medieval historic Arab city centers. Sustainability, 14(2), 607. https://doi.org/10.3390/su14020607
Schläpfer, M., Lee, J., & Bettencourt, L. (2015). Urban skylines: Building heights and shapes as measures of city size. arXiv: Physics and Society. https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.1512.00946
Sun, H., Xu, H., He, H., & Wei, Q. (2023). A spatial analysis of urban streets under deep learning based on street view imagery: Quantifying perceptual and elemental perceptual relationships. Sustainability, 15(20), 14798. https://doi.org/10.3390/su152014798
Suzaini, M. Z. (2015). Measuring operational affordability of public low cost housing in Kuala Lumpur: Case study of People’s Housing Programme public low-cost housing in Kuala Lumpur. International Journal of Social Sciences, IV(4), 54–74. https://doi.org/10.20472/ss2015.4.4.005
Tan, K. K. H. (2025, July 21). Preserve or remove: How do we find the right balance in urban development. Taylor’s University. https://university.taylors.edu.my/en/student-life/news/2025/preserve-or-remove-how-do-we-find-the-right-balance-in-urban-development.html
Tashakkori, A., Johnson, R. B., & Teddlie, C. B. (2026). Foundations of mixed methods research: Integrating quantitative and qualitative approaches in the social and behavioral sciences (2nd ed.). SAGE Publications. https://doi.org/10.4135/9781506350288
Ujang, N., & Abdul Aziz, F. (2016). The Malay Enclave of Kampung Baru as a living tradition: A place of uncertainty. Environment-Behaviour Proceedings Journal, 1(2), 197. https://doi.org/10.21834/e-bpj.v1i2.269
Ujang, N. (2016). Transforming the historical urban village of Kampong Bharu into a new urban centre in Kuala Lumpur. Malaysia Sustainable Cities, MIT–UTM. https://malaysiacities.mit.edu/paperujang/
UNESCO. (2023). Urban heritage for resilience: Consolidated results of the implementation of the 2011 Recommendation on the Historic Urban Landscape; 3rd Member States consultation. UNESCO. https://doi.org/10.58337/CFZO9650
Wang, C. (2022). Urban village on a global scale: Diverse interpretations of one label. Urban Geography, 43(2), 184–205. https://doi.org/10.1080/02723638.2020.1842097
Wan, H. (2014). Analysis on the skyline of cities close to waters. Applied Mechanics and Materials, 488–489, 337–341. https://doi.org/10.4028/www.scientific.net/AMM.488-489.337
Wati, P. D. C. A., & Ridlo, I. A. (2020). Hygienic and healthy lifestyle in the urban village of Rangkah Surabaya. Jurnal PROMKES, 8(1), 47–58. https://doi.org/10.20473/jpk.v8.i1.2020.47-58
Wong, K. C., Trankle, S. A., Chow, C. K., et al. (2023). A systematic approach to improving the transparency of interview refinements and data sufficiency in semi-structured interviews. International Journal of Qualitative Methods, 22. https://doi.org/10.1177/16094069231220773
Yang, L., Yang, X., Li, Y., & Li, S. (2024). A new quantitative evaluation method of urban skyline based on object-based analysis and constitution theory. Environment and Planning B: Urban Analytics and City Science, 51(1), 259–274. https://doi.org/10.1177/23998083231168873
Yusoff, N. A. H., Noor, A. M., & Ghazali, R. (2014). City skyline conservation: Sustaining the premier image of Kuala Lumpur. Procedia Environmental Sciences, 20, 583–592. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.proenv.2014.03.071
Zhao, T., Liang, X., Biljecki, F., Tu, W., Cao, J., Li, X., & Yi, S. (2025). Quantifying seasonal bias in street view imagery for urban form assessment: A global analysis of 40 cities. Computers, Environment and Urban Systems, 120, 102302. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compenvurbsys.2025.102302
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Raziah Ahmad, Alyaa Syahirah Azmi, Rafiuddin Roslan, Nor Zalina Harun
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 DEED
Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 4.0 International
