This document outlines an Asian Architecture project on challenges in conserving the historical site and architectural identity of Chew Jetty in Penang, Malaysia. The project group will research issues like the impact of tourism, sustainable management, and lack of social involvement that threaten the cultural heritage values of the site. The objective is to document these challenges and highlight the importance of conservation methods to protect the site's identity as a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage site and source of knowledge. The research will involve literature reviews and aim to spark awareness of the site's condition.

1. Asian Architecture (ARC60403) Project 1: Research in Asian Architecture
Topic & Issue Proposal (10%) Due Date: 9 Oct 2018
Group Members:
1. Chai Phey Chiat 0334480
2. Ho Pei San 0332992
3. Joslyn Siew Zi Tong 0334488
4. Poh Weng Chuan 0319951
5. Serene Lim Jia Yi 0334258
6. Wesley Wong Teck Won 0330496
Assessed by:
Research Title:
ChallengesinConservingthe HistoricalSiteandthe ArchitecturalIdentityof the CulturalHeritage
A Case Study on ChewJetty inPenang
Issues/ProblemStatement:
There are difficulties when people are thinking about the demolitionof the heritage site and residential buildings. It is a
problem when a site is in a dilemma of becoming the cultural heritage. As a tourism site that is listed in UNESCO, the
historicalsiteandits architectural identityis a challengetobeconserved.
As the communitystood its time, the presentissues areconstantlyaffectingits conditionsthusit is difficultto maintain its
quality. Theessenceofthe Chew Jetty is importantas a culturalheritageto be conservedbut it is lackof understanding
andappreciationbythe tourists andthe community.
This research and the documentation are mainlyto maintain and preserve Chew Jetty as much as possible as lack of
documentationwillaffectthehistory andthe identity of the culturalheritage.
Research Questions:
1. What is the issueconcerningonconservingaheritagesite by UNESCO whilemaintainingitsownidentity?
2. How doesculturalheritagetourism bringimpactsinsustainingheritagesite?
3. How doesthe involvement of communitiesandpartnershipscontributionbringaboutinconservingtheheritagesite?
4. How does the community of the jetties respond towards heritage tourism with the name ‘cultural heritage’ as
representation?
5. What isthe dilemmaexperiencedbeforeandafterChewJettyisenlistedasthe UNESCO WorldCulturalHeritageSite?
SummaryofResearch (200-300words):
Theobjectiveof this researchis to documentthechallengesinconservingthe historicalsiteand its architecturalidentity
of the culturalheritage.Thearisingchallengesincludetourism impact,sustainablemanagement,qualityof maintenance,
and lackof socialinvolvementthat pose threat on the significantvalueson the culturalheritagein termsof architecture,
people,contextandculturalattributes.
Thisresearchisconductedviaresearchonreviewedliterature, article,onlinenewsandbooks.Throughouttheresearch,
we realizedthe dilemmaexperiencedbyrelatedpartiesto conserve a heritagewhilemaintainingitsarchitecturalidentity.
As a tourism siteunderUNESCO`sconservationthatstimulatestheeconomicgrowthinPenang,ChewJetty’s identityas
a uniquefishingvillageand waterfrontsettlementfades away.
As a conclusion in this research, it is to highlight the importanceof methods and contribution in conserving the cultural
heritage in order to spark awareness of its condition to the world so that it can be protected and preserved. There are
various methodsinconservingahistoricalsite,which wefoundthatsomeissuesarenotonlycontributingfrom itinternally

2. but also externally, so it is recommended that the related organizations should take drastic actions to reduce the total
impact by the human towards the heritage site such as the Chew Jetty, as to protect its identity as part of the world
heritage,and useit as a sourceof knowledgetonurturethe upcominggenerations.
ConceptMapping
References
1. Heritage N. (2001).https://whc.unesco.org/archive/convention-en.pdf. [ebook] UNESCO. Available at:
https://whc.unesco.org/archive/convention-en.pdf[Accessed17Sep. 2018].
2. GuidanceonHeritageImpactAssessmentsforCulturalWorldHeritageProperties.(2011).[ebook]ICOMOS.Available
at: https://www.icomos.org/world_heritage/HIA_20110201.pdf[Accessed17Sep.2018].
3.Ismail,N,Masron,T,Ahmad,A.(2014).https://www.shsconferences.org/articles/shsconf/pdf/2014/09/shsconf_4ictr2014_0
1059.pdf.[ebook]CulturalHeritageTourisminMalaysia:Issuesand Challenges[Accessed14Oct.2018].
4. MohdAriffin N. F. (2015). http://studentsrepo.um.edu.my/5509/1/Thesis_Noor_Fazamimah_Mohd_Ariffin.pdf.[ebook].
Willingness-To-payvalue of cultural heritage and its management for sustainable conservation of George Town, World
HeritageSite. [Accessed14 Oct.2018].
5. Chia, L. (2016).Penang's historic George Town: A heritage theme park?. [online] Channel NewsAsia. Available at:
https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/asia/penang-s-historic-george-town-a-heritage-theme-park-7660068[Accessed
18 Sep. 2018].
6. TheGuardian.(2017).'Unesco-cide':doesworld heritagestatus do citiesmore harm than good?.[online]Available at:
https://www.theguardian.com/cities/2017/aug/30/unescocide-world-heritage-status-hurt-help-tourism [Accessed 18 Sep.
2018].