Urban Design Study on City Centre, ,

Muhammad Hishamuddin Zakaria, Mazran Ismail, Ahmad Sanusi Hassan and Najib Taher Al-Ashwal Downloaded from http://meridian.allenpress.com/awg/article-pdf/21/2-3/193/2273797/1480-6800-21_2_193.pdf by guest on 23 September 2021 School of Housing Building and Planning, Universiti Sains Malaysia, 11800 USM, Malaysia

Urban design elements within a city play a vital role in stimulating mental mapping in personal perception of the city. A comprehensive urban trail has been conducted focusing on a city centre to study the elements of urbanism and planning strategies by the government of Kelantan to make sure the function - ality and its character representation of Kota Bharu, Kelanta, recently rebranded as an Islamic City. The incorporation of the Islamic city design approach, urban planning and community building ideas towards a better city have been taken into considerations by the authoriies in Kelantan in developing and presenting the ideas of the Islamic City. The strategic and pragmatic urban design approaches adopted by the government of Kelantan, by indicating the specific zoning within the city centre itself, have indirectly strengthened the city developmental identity. Hence, this study shows that urban design elements play an essential role in creating a specific mental mapping in personal perception regarding Kota Bharu city centre.

Keywords: Urban design element, mental mapping, development concept, design approach, accessibilities planning, Islamic City

Introduction Nowadays urbanism is a prime keyword to improve the way of living, the view of the city and the population’s civilisation in Malaysia. There are varieties of design elements in urbanism to fit in with the city development concept and to achieve an improved standard of living for the community and to enhance economic growth. These urban design elements indirectly function to create the mental image for the people who have visited the city. On October 1 st , 2005, Kota Bharu was declared an Islamic City by the state government, and thus the city development concept is interwoven with the state government slogan of ‘Developing with ’. Hence, Kota Bharu city centre also incorporates the three essential connections: that between humans and God, humans with other human beings and lastly, humans with nature (Nasir and Salleh 2014; Hassan, Ghani and Ahmad 2018; see also Nasir 2011).

The Arab World Geograph er / Le Géographe du monde arabe Vol 21, no 2-3 (2018) 193 -208 © 2018 Geo Publishing, Toronto Canada 194 Zakaria, Ismail, Hassan and Al-Ashwal

The present paper aims to study the urban design elements closely associated with the city development concept and discuss the influ - ence of basic urban design elements in creating the proper structuring within Kota Bharu city centre and the associated mental image among the city’s residents and visitors. This paper seeks to thoroughly explain the main five design elements in planning: e.g. paths, edges, Downloaded from http://meridian.allenpress.com/awg/article-pdf/21/2-3/193/2273797/1480-6800-21_2_193.pdf by guest on 23 September 2021 districts, nodes and landmarks. The first design element is paths, which connect all channels in the city and also acts as an urban back - bone to create a unique character for the city. Meanwhile, the edges are boundaries and separations between two sections that break its continuity. A district, on the other hand, is the zoning of the cityscape that connects city sections sharing some commonalities. Moreover, nodes are strategically located as primary focal points or junctions of two or more converging paths or roads that sometimes become a public plaza or square. Finally, landmark acts as a visual object that represents the identity and point of reference for the city such as key monuments and sculptures. Kota Bharu city centre has been chosen as a case study for this research due to its city development concept as an Islamic City as well as because of its culture, architectural heritage and historical richness, as Kelantan state capital with a population of some 490,000 in 2010. A recent opinion survey studied the concrete perceptions visitors have of the character of the Kota Bharu cityscape as an Islamic City, with suggestive positive preliminary findings, concluding that “ visitors perceived overall Kota Bharu city image as represents the Islamic city image” ( Hassan, Ghani and Ahmad (2018, 1310).They stress: “To promote Islamic tourism in Kota Bharu as a new cultural tourism product in Malaysia … the rebranding process acts as both a planning strategy … and tourism strategy” (ibid. p. 1304). They also note: “The city rebranding also has significant implications for the development of the local community regarding image and changing economic and social environment to be more conducive and competitive with the values and philosophy of Islam” (ibid.). This paper will also discuss the five essential design elements that can be found in Kota Bharu city centre and how they influence its attractive image as a capital city of Kelantan and stimulate a specific distinctive mental map for that city in personal perception of its residents and visitors.

Literature Review

To study and analyse the basic urban design elements, five elements are focused on: paths, edges, districts, nodes and landmarks. These

The Arab World Geographer / Le Géographe du monde arabe Vol 21, no 2-3 (2018) Urban Design Study: Kota Bharu City Centre, Kelantan, Malaysia 195 elements are the catalyst in stimulating a public image in any given city. This public image is then overlapped with the individual mental image or perhaps with a series of public perceptions held by a signifi - cant group of citizens. The definition of urban design elements as clas - sically defined by Lynch (1960) are as follows: Downloaded from http://meridian.allenpress.com/awg/article-pdf/21/2-3/193/2273797/1480-6800-21_2_193.pdf by guest on 23 September 2021

Paths

Paths are related to the connectivity of the city that connects to all channels, roads, streets or walkways within a town. This is where the user customarily, potentially or occasionally moves. A path can be a backbone for a city as it provides the urban form of a network and also serves to incorporate a unique character into its specific urban design. Therefore, the path can be a dominant element for many people because users can feel and observe the cityscape while moving through the paths; and along these paths, the other urban design elements are related to it.

Edges

Edges act as the separation or break in the continuity of a city. They generally function as boundaries between two areas or territories and are represented by railroad tracks, shores, walls or edges of develop - ment. Topography can also be considered as an edge as it divides the regions or joins them together. Edges are usually perceived as oblique references because they constitute organising features, particularly in the role of holding together generalised areas, as in the outline of a city by barriers: water or walls, more or less penetrable by people.

Districts

Within a big city, there are a few sections, neighbourhoods medium to large, that connecting to each other become a city, called a district. Those sections identically share the same characteristics or common attributes with each other that define the identity of the city itself. These characteristics are represented by the interior, or as can be observed, by the exterior of the whole city. Usually, a unique arrange - ment of the paths or districts becomes the common practice as indi - vidual differences. The formation of districts also mentioned by Harvey (1989) is a tool that been used to ease the transition between managerialism and entrepreneurialism in urban governance. This can be elaborated as a division of the sections within the city for the prin - ciple of “divide and rule”.

The Arab World Geographer / Le Géographe du monde arabe Vol 21, no 2-3 (2018) 196 Zakaria, Ismail, Hassan and Al-Ashwal

Nodes

According to Lynch (1960, 12): “Nodes are the strategic foci into which the observer can enter, typically either junctions of paths or concentrations of some characteristic”. Nodes are the gathering points or locations that strategically locate to become a main focal Downloaded from http://meridian.allenpress.com/awg/article-pdf/21/2-3/193/2273797/1480-6800-21_2_193.pdf by guest on 23 September 2021 point in a city. It can be squares, plazas or even intersecting roads or junctions that break or redirect the traffic. The concentration of one or more than one functions indirectly and will attract tourists and locals by mixed-use developments or cultural districts, with their synergy of offices, shops, cafes, restaurants and cultural facilities, as mentioned by Snedcof (1985). Nodes can be recognised by their functions for the people when people find the space memorable regardless of shape or physical form. Hence, a pragmatic approach must be adapted to these nodes to give them their own identity by applying paintings, sculptures, walls, floors, other functions or even intensity of use.

Landmarks

Landmarks are frequently used as clues of identity and even of struc - ture, and seem to be increasingly relied upon as a journey becomes more and more familiar. Landmarks are three-dimensional elements found in a city. They differ from nodes that can be utilised by the people; landmarks act as external features or visual structure for the user as a point of reference. Landmarks provide a vista to the city or even a general sign perceived by people around it. They can be static or unique monuments, structures or objects that are vital for an orien - tational process when they are distinctive and less in number. Like nodes, landmarks must be represented by unique features such as different shape, colour, size, height or visibility to gain contrast with the background, to distinguish their dominance and singularity. Other than that, landmarks can be functional architectural elements that can, for example, be a traditional or historical building in the same complex with more modern buildings.

Study Area The case study is located at Kota Bharu city centre of Kelantan as shown in Figure 1. It encompasses the administration, economic zones, public amenities and settlement area in front of the . This city is also well-known as Bumi Serambi Mekah due to its representation of the Islamic City objective to display Kota Bharu as a Mecca Corridor (MPKB-BI 2006).

The Arab World Geographer / Le Géographe du monde arabe Vol 21, no 2-3 (2018) Urban Design Study: Kota Bharu City Centre, Kelantan, Malaysia 197 Downloaded from http://meridian.allenpress.com/awg/article-pdf/21/2-3/193/2273797/1480-6800-21_2_193.pdf by guest on 23 September 2021

FIGURE 1 The location of the case study Kota Bharu (Figure 2a) was established in 1844 when Muhammad I declared Kota Bharu as the primary administrative area of Kelantan replacing Pulau Saba, due to its location. Kota Bharu developed into a significant settlement area that housed Balai Besar Palace and other residences of the ruling elite. At the same time, the villages developed around Masjid, Kampung Balik Hilir and Kampung Gajah Mati (around Jalan Che Su and Jalan Tok Hakim). In 1900, there was a slight change in land use pattern in Kota Bharu due to ongoing colonisation by the British (Figure 2b).

The Arab World Geographer / Le Géographe du monde arabe Vol 21, no 2-3 (2018) 198 Zakaria, Ismail, Hassan and Al-Ashwal

1844- 1900- 1900 1910 Downloaded from http://meridian.allenpress.com/awg/article-pdf/21/2-3/193/2273797/1480-6800-21_2_193.pdf by guest on 23 September 2021

FIGURE 2 Kota Bharu Development Process Methodology Urban form and elements are not definite and easy to define, so there must be an operational and discussable analysis used as an urban form, a composite of characteristics related to land use patterns, transportation and urban design (Handy 1996). This research employs qualitative analysis as a method to study and observe the spatial pattern of the large, inert, permanent physical objects in Kota Bharu based on the mental mapping projection after following the urban trail around case study area, to understand and analyse every unique urban characteristic found within the case study area. This method focuses on the applications of urban design elements and how humans perceive them in daily life. The study used three strategies to understand and analyse the essential urban design elements within Kota Bharu, Kelantan city centre: (1) pre-assumption of the importance of essential urban design elements that can be found within Kota Bharu; (2) urban trail and observation of the importance and interaction of people with the urban design elements around Kota Bharu within the membrane of study zone; (3) manual extraction and analysis based on mental mapping of the urban design elements and its importance for the social, economic and cultural factors in hierarchical order. Figure 3 summarizes the workflow for the entire mapping and analysis process throughout the research.

The Arab World Geographer / Le Géographe du monde arabe Vol 21, no 2-3 (2018) Urban Design Study: Kota Bharu City Centre, Kelantan, Malaysia 199

Data Analysis and Findings The site can be accessed by a few roads and channels, land or water. The principal entrance

to the site is by Jalan Sultan Downloaded from http://meridian.allenpress.com/awg/article-pdf/21/2-3/193/2273797/1480-6800-21_2_193.pdf by guest on 23 September 2021 Ismail and Jalan . Furthermore, Jalan Sultanah Zainab and Jalan Hospital become the secondary entrance routes to the site. These roads are the main entrances due to their connec - tion with the airport and FIGURE 3 railway station. Other than by Methodology flowchart land, the site can also be accessed by Kelantan River (Figure 4). The paths to the site are quite clear and straightforward as the Kota Bharu city centre was designed based on a grid concept. (1) Jalan Sultan Ismail, (2) Jalan Pengkalan Chepa, (3) Jalan hospital and (4) Jalan Sultanah Zainab became the primary paths and are numbered according to the hierarchical order. Due to their impor - tance, these roads become congested during the peak hours as the users leaving or entering the site. But the existence of other arterial roads such as Jalan Post Office Lama and Jalan Che Su ease the traffic flow on the main roads (Figure 4). The formal pedestrian walkway, on the other hand, is only located in front of Masjid Muhammadi and along Buloh Kubu Market toward Siti Khatijah Market. The Kelantan River functions not only as transportation route back and forth from the site, but also as a separation between Kota Bharu city centre and . This natural topography becomes a dominant edge for the city centre. The importance of the river is not only to divide the territory and functions of both cities but also to reconnect them. It generates the different way of living, economic approaches and architectural values between these two cities. The division of the district at Kota Bharu city centre is based on the historical and geographical factors as well as planning considera - tion in the future as an Islamic City (Hassan, Ghani and Ahmad 2018). These zones are vital for the future references and guidelines in preserving the culture and social aspects in this city. The administra - tive areas are located at the nucleus of the city that circle the old palace of Jahar and Balai Istiadat and where Lembaga Hasil Dalam Negeri (LHDN) and a few other administrative buildings are located. The

The Arab World Geographer / Le Géographe du monde arabe Vol 21, no 2-3 (2018) 200 Zakaria, Ismail, Hassan and Al-Ashwal Downloaded from http://meridian.allenpress.com/awg/article-pdf/21/2-3/193/2273797/1480-6800-21_2_193.pdf by guest on 23 September 2021

FIGURE 4 Entrances to the site and paths configurations showing different types of roads city has developed the economic zone and cultural zone around the administration area. This reflects the historical characteristics and values of Kota Bharu. Meanwhile, along with the river bank, we can find a few clusters of traditional villages and a recreational area. The Islamic Centre Zone encompasses the Masjid Muhammadi and neighbouring compounds such as the Islamic Museum and an array of shops that offer a variety of Islamic attire, religious books and non-alcoholic perfumes. Meanwhile, Istana Jahar, Perkampungan Kraftangan, Siti Khatijah Market and Buluh Kubu Market are included in Warisan Budaya Zone. This zone is significant as it houses many dominant landmarks and it is like a panoramic introduction of Kota Bharu to the tourist. As Kota Bharu was ruled by the Kingdom of Siam () and the British for many decades, there are few old heritage buildings, some constructed in 1927 and 1950. Those shops are within Pekan Warisan Zone. Moreover, Medan Ilmu Zone covers Jalan Dato Pati and will showcase the importance of knowledge among the locals, and that is where the weekly religious gathering was held. The River Esplanade Zone serves mainly as a recreational area along Kelantan River. Meanwhile, four significant nodes can be found within the scope of the city. These nodes are important for their functions, significance and the quality of the environment. The numbers who use and appre - ciate those nodes are taken into consideration in determining the hier -

The Arab World Geographer / Le Géographe du monde arabe Vol 21, no 2-3 (2018) Urban Design Study: Kota Bharu City Centre, Kelantan, Malaysia 201 Downloaded from http://meridian.allenpress.com/awg/article-pdf/21/2-3/193/2273797/1480-6800-21_2_193.pdf by guest on 23 September 2021

FIGURE 5 The districts of Kota Bharu in accordance with its historical aspect and future planning archical order of those nodes. The nodes within the study area are market clusters that consist of Pasar Siti Khatijah, Pasar Buloh Kubu and the array of stalls in between them, Perkampungan Kraftangan, Syarikat Kenderaan Melayu Kelantan (SKMK) Bus Station, Dataran Pahlawan and lastly Bulatan Jam, as shown in Figure 6. Finally, there are a lot of unique, traditional and local architec - tural styles visible in structures around the site that fall under the cate - gory of landmarks. Some of them are known due to the historical significance and representation of local identity. The landmarks that can be found around the site are the Archway (Gerbang Rehal), Istana Jahar, Masjid Muhammadi, Siti Khatijah Market, Buloh Kubu Market, Clock Tower and the Lembaga Hasil Dalam Negeri (LHDN) building as visible in Figure 7.

Discussion The main transportation hubs and stations are generally located outside Kota Bharu city centre but within a reachable radius, such as the Bus Terminal and jetty located at Kampung Sireh. The Train Station is located at and airport is located at Pengkalan Chepa. Hence, the importance of the entrances to the site is affected by this prime factor. Jalan Sultan Ismail becomes the main primary site as it connects two transportation stations: Kampung Sireh Bus

The Arab World Geographer / Le Géographe du monde arabe Vol 21, no 2-3 (2018) 202 Zakaria, Ismail, Hassan and Al-Ashwal Downloaded from http://meridian.allenpress.com/awg/article-pdf/21/2-3/193/2273797/1480-6800-21_2_193.pdf by guest on 23 September 2021

FIGURE 6 The nodes within the site in hierarchical order Terminal and Wakaf Bharu Train Station. As for Jalan Pengkalan Chepa, it is a route for the users from the airport. Besides that, these two primary entrances are significant since they connect a few satellite cities at the circumference of the city centre such as , Pasir Tumboh and a new satellite city, Tunjong. By contrast, the secondary entrances to the site are the alternative routes that still mirror their functions as primary entrances. The secondary entrances Jalan Hospital and Jalan Sultanah Zainab have evolved to avoid congestion at the primary entrances. Jalan Hospital, for example, connects a few important buildings and landmarks outside the site such as Sultanah Zainab Hospital and Sultan Muhammad IV Stadium. Meanwhile, Jalan Sultanah Zainab is asso - ciated with the connection between a few villages outside the nucleus of the city centre as well as Cahaya Bulan Beach, a well-known beach amongst locals and tourists. The last entry point to the site is through Kelantan River, but due to its limited use and function, this entry area is least significant for the users. This entrance is known as Tambatan Diraja and only serves on specific occasions and for a specific group of people, for example for the immigration officers. In 1902, Kelantan was ruled by Siam and the British colonial authorities as advisor. Within seven years of Thai rule, there were a lot of changes that evolved around the city centre, until the British took over Kelantan from Siam as a Malay colony in 1909. Due to the colonisation, the image of the Kota Bharu was influenced by the colo - nial element, especially in city planning and urban image. There were

The Arab World Geographer / Le Géographe du monde arabe Vol 21, no 2-3 (2018) Urban Design Study: Kota Bharu City Centre, Kelantan, Malaysia 203 Downloaded from http://meridian.allenpress.com/awg/article-pdf/21/2-3/193/2273797/1480-6800-21_2_193.pdf by guest on 23 September 2021

FIGURE 7 The landmarks found within the site also many public buildings that were built around the palace to serve Kota Bharu as a main administrative area in grid planning. The formation of the urban pattern and vehicle access to Kota Bharu also reflect the gridiron planning layout concept that derived from the colonial city but not as dominant as , Georgetown or (Hassan 2001). On the contrary, because the implementation was not at first thought out, the poorly planned city centre created an informal gridiron pattern, a less organised gridiron city planning layout and different from the Islamic City planning that is based on the geometrical system, not a grid system (Noe 1980). The most significant edge for Kota Bharu city centre is the Kelantan River itself. It does not only act as a separation between districts but also as the connection route among those districts. The Kelantan River connects a few districts in Kelantan such as between and . The existence of Kelantan River divides the city function between Kota Bharu and Pasir Mas and eases the administration for both cities. Unfortunately, the importance of Kelantan River as a transportation route seems to be forgotten due to the introduction of land transportation that is more convenient for the users. The appreciation of the Kelantan River among the locals and tourists as a vital edge for the city centre seems to be diminishing because fewer activities are taking place along the river, unlike in the past. This is very contrary to ecological considerations in urban planning, as noted by Yusoff and Wong (2015), although a body of water is a very prominent component of Kota Bharu.

The Arab World Geographer / Le Géographe du monde arabe Vol 21, no 2-3 (2018) 204 Zakaria, Ismail, Hassan and Al-Ashwal Downloaded from http://meridian.allenpress.com/awg/article-pdf/21/2-3/193/2273797/1480-6800-21_2_193.pdf by guest on 23 September 2021

FIGURE 8 The Archway as a structure and architectural element connecting all zones within Kota Bharu city center Furthermore, the formation and evolution of Kota Bharu was started during the historical when the construction of the palace and secretariat building nearby the palace became one of the prime factors of the current zoning and district. The traditional settlements that are found today already existed in the period 1844-1900. The other zonings are defined due to their specific function and a particular archi - tectural that creates a unique mental image of the city itself. The establishment of sub-zoning within Kota Bharu city centre is derived from the “divide and rule” concept, where the zoning functions and images differ from each other. To form a city, those small zonings in Kota Bahru city centre have then been connected by the identical structures such as the Archway or particular architectural elements that also provide access to large sections of the city (Hassan 2009). Most of the dominant nodes in the site are influenced by the exis - tence of cultural, socio-economic elements, the history behind it and an amalgamation of structures, and most importantly due to the asso - ciated functions. This cohesion of a few factors creates a centre of attraction within Kota Bharu city centre. Since Kota Bharu is diverse in cultural aspects, such as a centre for thousands of delicious tradi - tional delicacies and local products, it becomes the prime factor for the locals to start a business at the nodes. The significant nodes also assemble the particular functions that are vital and also special for the inhabitants. Hence, most of the primary nodes marked exist because of those catalysts. Other than that, there are some other nodes that have become strategic foci due to their essential historical background and as an important identity to reflect the overall concept of the city as an Islamic City (Hassan, Ghani and Ahmad 2018). The primary nodes found in the site are illustrated in Table 1.

The Arab World Geographer / Le Géographe du monde arabe Vol 21, no 2-3 (2018) Urban Design Study: Kota Bharu City Centre, Kelantan, Malaysia 205

TABLE 1 The hierarchical order of the nodes at Kota Bharu city centre Hierarchical Lo cati on Descripti on order 1 Th e semi -covered ar ea b etw ee n Siti 1 Thi s c overed ar ea; n ot only h ousing th e f oo d Khatijah Mark et an d Buloh Kubu stall s b ut al so a gath erin g spac e f or th e anti que Mark et coll ect ors an d m erchant s. Thi s n ode i s Downloaded from http://meridian.allenpress.com/awg/article-pdf/21/2-3/193/2273797/1480-6800-21_2_193.pdf by guest on 23 September 2021 significant n ot only a s a c ult ural an d economic plac e b ut al so a s a tran siti on spac e in b etw ee n th ose tw o mark ets. 2 Henc e, th e int ersecti on of th e circ ulati ons cr eat es a v ery dominant n ode an d a liv ely plac e t o r est. M oreo ver, th e impr ovement of th e str uct ure c onc ernin g th e l ocal climat e, mak e thi s ar ea v ery c osy an d c omf ortabl e f or it s

users. 2 Perkamp ungan Kraftan gan - (1) Perkamp ungan Kraftan gan or Han dicraft enc ompa ss es m useum, stall s, art Villa ge i s a c ult ural plac e mark ed by cla ss es, offic es an d r esta urants a seri es of Malay v ernac ular archit ect ural buil din gs. (2) Th e cl uster of th e b uil din gs cr eat es a n ostal gic envir onm ent an d i s imp ortant f or displayin g l oca l c ult ures an d pr oduct s, incl udin g l ocal delicaci es such a s Nasi Kerab u an d Nasi .

3 SKMK Bus Stati on (1) SKMK Bus Stati on i s one of th e significant n odes at Kota Bhar u City Centr e. (2) It i s imp ortant due t o it s functi on a s a tran sportati on h ub f or b us an d taxi tran sport within th e city c entr e. (3) Th e imp ortanc e i s display ed thr ough th e n umb er of users that fr equent thi s spac e thr oughout th e day, fr om dawn t o aft er

dark. 4 Dataran Pahlawan/ Padan g Bank a) Dataran Pahlawan mark s th e sacrific es of th e l ocal s in str ugg le a gain st th e Briti sh. b) Thi s i s wh ere T ok Jan gg ut wa s executed in 1915 an d h ung f or seven day s an d ni ght s a s a warnin g t o th e l ocal s t o stop th eir r ebelli on (T ok Jan gg ut 2018). c) Durin g th e aft ern oo n, th e fi eld is used f or r ecr eati onal activiti es by th e chil dren, such a s t o play f oo tball. 5 Bulatan Jam ( Clock T ower • Bulatan Jam i s th e r oundab out c onn ectin g tw o Roundab out) main r oads, Jalan Sultan I smail an d Jalan Hospi tal. • Thi s r oundab out i s lik e an intr oducti on t o th e touri st of th e city all ab out. Th e palm tr ee s ba sically t o mak e Kelantan l oo k lik e a ‘ Bumi Serambi M ekah' due t o it s imp ortanc e in spr eadin g of I slamic r eli gious kn owl edg e. • However, due t o it s l ocati on, thi s n ode i s n ot celebrat ed by th e p eo pl e so that thi s ar ea constit utes m ore a ki nd of pa ss iv e or dead node.

The Arab World Geographer / Le Géographe du monde arabe Vol 21, no 2-3 (2018) 206 Zakaria, Ismail, Hassan and Al-Ashwal

The landmarks as perceived at Kota Bharu city centre are affected by the cultural and architectural inheritance as well as the overall urban development concept as developed by the governing party. These landmarks are usually well-known due to their functions and local architectural styles. The unique characteristics create a perma - nent mental image of the city and then overlap with individual inter - Downloaded from http://meridian.allenpress.com/awg/article-pdf/21/2-3/193/2273797/1480-6800-21_2_193.pdf by guest on 23 September 2021 pretations about the city itself. The mental images are generated by the resemblance of the concepts and urban design elements that are portrayed throughout the city. In parallel with the city planning concepts and idea, the Islamic architectural styles merge with the Malay vernacular architecture and created a distinctive urban semi - otic of the city, a memorable cityscape. Several dominant landmarks function as the urban signs and symbolical identities for Kota Bharu. For Kota Bharu city centre, the identification of the landmarks is based on the representation of the structure itself that differs from its background or environment. Although the three-dimensional struc - tures are considered low-rise, apparently they are dominant due to the contrast they create with the surroundings despite their familiarity among the people. The classification of the landmarks is also based on how they contribute to the vista of the city and how they functions as signs in the cityscape and ist spatial-cultural semiotic.. Hence, the idea of landmarks as the representation of the city is implemented through the design philosophy and concept via structures such as the Archway to inform visitors about the city. The rarity in the number of these structures make them stands out as a city icon across the globe and can be considered as the most significant landmark at Kota Bharu. Istana Jahar is an old palace that can be found here. The local inheritance, especially in construction and architectural elements, are well reflected by this palace. The fascinating and complex timber constructions create a beautiful memory for its visitors. The Malay architectural style and elements become the critical point for this palace. Meanwhile, Masjid Muhammadi is the reflection of Kelantan of an earlier era as well as a trading hub. The architectural style symbolises many foreign elements such as of Middle Eastern and Mongolian styles. This masjid is recorded as one of the oldest mosques in Kelantan and one of its kind. Last not least, Siti Khatijah Market and Buloh Kubu Market have become one of the famous shopping spots not only for the locals but also for visitors from outside of Kelantan. Their function as an economically generated medium is enhanced by the special character - istic of the market itself. This is because most of the sellers are women who promote different types of goods at reasonable prices.

The Arab World Geographer / Le Géographe du monde arabe Vol 21, no 2-3 (2018) Urban Design Study: Kota Bharu City Centre, Kelantan, Malaysia 207

On the other hand, the Clock Tower at Bulatan Jam can also be perceived as a key landmark here. The striking structure with the Islamic geometric pattern on its envelope reflects the city’s character and concept. Sadly, although it is located at the main entrance to the city centre, this landmark can hardly be seen from afar because it is surrounded by a series of palm trees at its circumference. However, Downloaded from http://meridian.allenpress.com/awg/article-pdf/21/2-3/193/2273797/1480-6800-21_2_193.pdf by guest on 23 September 2021 the Clock Tower is still being used as a sign of the city and landmark. Meanwhile, the Lembaga Hasil Dalam Negeri (LHDN) building is also can be counted as a landmark here due to its singularity, func - tionality and connection with the context of the building itself. This building has several stores with a traditional roof that renders this building higher than other landmarks.

Conclusion In conclusion, although Kota Bharu city centre developed from the colonial style of planning, the ideas and concept being implemented by the authority reflects the local culture, way of living and architec - tural symbolism based on Islamic pillars and philosophy. The high integration of the urban design elements with the non-visual elements that are related with social interpretations, connectivity and appreci - ation within Kota Bharu city centre reflect a particular traditional yet urbane quality of life. The evolution and transformation of the city image since the declaration of Kota Bharu as Islamic City have shown some positive progress and at the same time reflect a clear identity and character rooted deeply in the local culture and heritage, as corrobo - rated by the positive preliminary findings of a recent ‘pilot test’ empir - ical survey. Hassan, Ghani and Ahmad (2018, 1304) state: “ As an Islamic city, it represents a symbolic icon in the urban development of the Islamic state of Kelantan. The city aim is if tourists were want to experi - ence Islamic culture in Malaysia, Kota Bharu would be the right place to start due to the mostly appeared Islamic practices are more visible in the city - both physically and spiritually compared to any other cities in Malaysia .” However, there are fewer ecological considerations in responding with the garden city concept to meet the challenges in the future. The natural environment that exists at the site should be fully utilised as a large field of greenery in responding with more acceler - ated development of a ‘green garden city’, concept because land - scaping and water bodies are prominent in Kota Bharu city centre. Moreover, the uses of the technology in accordance of millennium era are not fully utilised to meet the local government visions so as to create a model of Islamic City that reflects the cultural and natural heritage of Kelantan. Hence, Kota Bharu city centre seems to have

The Arab World Geographer / Le Géographe du monde arabe Vol 21, no 2-3 (2018) 208 Zakaria, Ismail, Hassan and Al-Ashwal fallen behind in various aspects of urban development when compared to other cities, although there are so many alternatives that have been determined to create a competitive city, an exceptional form of urbanism and a distinctive and important city image for the people, local residents and visitors alike. Downloaded from http://meridian.allenpress.com/awg/article-pdf/21/2-3/193/2273797/1480-6800-21_2_193.pdf by guest on 23 September 2021

References Handy, S. 1996. Methodologies for exploring the link between urban form and travel behavior. Transportation Research Part D: Transport and Environment 1(2):151–165. Harvey, D. 1989. From managerialism to entrepreneurialism: The transforma - tion in urban governance in late capitalism. Geografiska Annaler: Series B, Human Geography 71(1):3–17. Hassan, A.S. 2001. Perancangan Rekabentuk Bandar Bukan Geometri. Journal of Housing, Building and Planning 9:98–104. Hassan, A.S. 2009. The British colonial “divide and rule” concept: Its influence to transport access in inner city of George Town, Penang. Transportation 36(3):309–324. Hassan, H., Ghani, M. I. M., and Ahmad, G. 2018. Evaluation of Islamic city image in Kota Bharu Islamic City: A pilot study and an early finding. International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences 8(6):1302–1312. See: https://tinyurl.com/ybz8kqjl (accessed 15 Nov. 2018) Lynch, K. 1960. The image of the city , Massachusetts: MIT Press. http://www.miguelangelmartinez.net/IMG/pdf/1960_Kevin_Lynch_The_Image _of_The_City_book.pdf (accessed 15 Nov. 2018) MPKB-BI, 2006. Kota Bharu Municipal Council- Islamic City 2006-2005 Masterplan Report , Kota Bharu. Nasir, M. R. M. 2011. A Study of the Kelantan Malay Cultural Landscape: Recent Trends and Future Prospect. University of Sheffield. http://etheses.whiterose.ac.uk/14661/1/574566.pdf (accessed 15 Nov. 2018) Nasir, M.R.M. and Salleh, I.H. 2014. Kota Bharu Islamic City – The Concept of a New Cultural Tourism Product 2 The Nature of Cultural Landscape. In SHS Web of Conferences 12, Vol. 1021, pp. 1-8. Noe, S. V. 1980. In search of “the” traditional Islamic city: an analytical proposal with Lahore as a case-example (extract). Ekistics 47(280):69–75. Snedcof, H.R., 1985. Cultural facilities in mixed-use development , Urban Land Inst. . 2018. Wikipedia entry. Tok Janggut. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tok_Janggut (accessed 15 Nov. 2018). Yusoff, R. & Wong, S.Y. 2015. Lessons learned from planning of Kota Bharu Waterfront City Centre – A Revisit. Malaysian Journal of Business and Economics (MJBE) 2(2):23–40.

The Arab World Geographer / Le Géographe du monde arabe Vol 21, no 2-3 (2018)