Page 1 February 2012 A State of Multiculturalism: Changing Faces of Cities BENVUD 1 History and Theory

BY THIAN SOO YING

A STATE OF MULTICULTURALISM: CHANGING FACES OF CITIES

THIAN SOO YING

UD 3 - Tutors: Nicholas Boyarsky/ Camila E, Sotomayor UCL The Bartlett School of Architecture March Urban Design 11-12 BENVUD 1 History and Theory

Page 2 February 2012 A State of Multiculturalism: Changing Faces of Cities BENVUD 1 History and Theory

BY THIAN SOO YING

TABLE OF CONTENTS Abstract List of Illustrations Introduction Flashback Melaka Townscape Culture Architecture : Function : Social : Environment 3 4 5

Invisible Cities : On Trading Ports A State of Multiculturalism Learning from London Going East Conclusion Bibliography 21

Page 3 February 2012 A State of Multiculturalism: Changing Faces of Cities BENVUD 1 History and Theory

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ABSTRACT This paper aims to analyze the idea of a multicultural identity in cities and multicultural construction serving as an ideal. Multiculturalism is a phenomenon not only present in historical cities but also in the making of many cities today. Rapid globalization seems to be transforming cities at an ever-accelerating speed. What price do we pay if we go too fast? At the price of shedding identity? Imagine an almost Utopian condition but yet the city is unrecognized as multicultural identity relinquished in the face of more mundane considerations. The fundamental question of the state of multiculturalism in todays context commands our thoughtful attention in these huge waves of development.

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LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS Fig 1 Fig 2 Fig 3 Fig 4 Fig 5 Fig 6 Fig 7 Fig 8 Fig 9 Fig 10 Fig 11 Fig 12 Fig 13 Fig 14 Fig 15 Fig 16 Fig 17 Fig 18 Fig 19 Fig 20 Fig 21 Fig 22 Fig 23 Fig 24 Fig 25 Fig 26 Fig 27 Fig 28 Fig 29 Fig 30 Fig 31 Fig 32 Early Mapping Of Southeast Asia, Thomas Suarez Melaka River; the trade route Shophouses along Melaka River Plan of Portuguese Fortress, 1512 A Formosa Fortress at St Pauls Hill Stadhuys Red Square Boundaries of Melaka; the historic Civic, Residential and Commercial Zone Culture Chettiars men Cultures Chinese New Year celebration Fusion Cultures Baba and Nyonya wedding ceremony Malay quarters, Kampung Morten Chinese Clan Hall Cheng Hoon Teng Temple Kampung Kling Mosque Christ Church Melaka Sri Poyyatha Vinayagar Morthi Temple Three religious buildings; the Chinese, Indian and Malay along Jalan Tukang Besi Typical roofscape of Melaka Row of shophouses on narrow streets Early shophouses; Heeren Street Shophouses; Jonker Street Faade; enriched by diversity in windows styles Plan; long and narrow Roof; steep slopes for tropical climate Courtyard Louvred windows for cross ventilation Five foot walkway Portuguese tombstone, Dutch tombstone, British graveyard (from left to right) Melaka, World Heritage City, 2008 Foreign invasion, old and new

Page 5 February 2012 A State of Multiculturalism: Changing Faces of Cities BENVUD 1 History and Theory

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INTRODUCTION What if we are witnessing a global liberation movement: down with character!. Ever since cities came into existence, they reflect the values, commitment and resolve of the societies they contain. Identity is derived from physical substance, from the historical, from context and from the cultural. They are the results of social commitment of the communities of urban society. Unfortunately, with the rapid urbanization in the pass few decades, our relationship with our cities has changed radically. From political agendas to privatization, cultural planning is replaced by commercial entities. Today, we witness the thinning of identity exacerbated by constant globalization in pursuit of personal wealth rather than means of achieving social goals. With modern infrastructure and network, people come from everywhere and new social behaviours emerge, however, they not readily embraced due to the speed of development. Is it not possible to theorize this convergence of cultures? What is happening to the cultures built by the hard work of many generations? In addressing the fundamental question of the state of multiculturalism in cities today, a case study on the historical city of Melaka will be presented to demonstrate that the development of a city based on the merging of diverse cultures, where the many religions and cultures meet and coexist in creating a specific multicultural identity is possible. To relate to current context, the case study will be followed by discussions on present Melaka and the modernization of London. Contrary to present Melaka which is under the UNESCOs preservation regime, London represents a perfect simulation it manages to enact the present around its past which is completely controversial. Lastly, moving east to Asia where rapid globalization is taking place at the moment, the impact of speed on multicultural construction in cities will be discussed and outcome and conclusions will be compared and drawn.
1

Koolhaas, Rem. Five Cities: Generic Cities.

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FLASHBACK MELAKA Melaka is one of the most remarkable examples of a colonial town that demonstrates a succession of historical and cultural influences arising from their former function as a trading port linking the East and West. Located strategically on the west of Peninsular Malaysia, It is one of the most complete historic city on the Straits of Malacca with a multi-cultural living heritage originating from the trade routes from Great Britain and Europe through the Middle East, the Indian subcontinent and the Malay Archipelago to China. Historically, the Straits of Melaka was part of the Maritime Silk Road, one of the most important commercial 2 waterways in the world connecting trading between the east and west. Powerful cities have arisen and a typical trait has been immigration and strong influences from far and near, contributing to a multicultural identity. In the late 14th century or early 15th century, Melaka was founded. The small fishing village rapidly grew to a large port and emporium, overshadowing the older ports in the area. Many ethnic groups were present with some 80 different languages spoken. The different ethnic communities lived in their own quarters while coexisted in flexible relationships, in spectacular diversity.

Fig 1 Early Mapping Of Southeast Asia, Thomas Suarez

Fig 2 Melaka River; the trade route

Fig 3 Shophouses along Melaka River

UNESCO. http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1223

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The unique townscape, culture and architecture reflecting the coming together of cultural elements from the Malay Archipelago, India and China with those of Europe represent an ideal. A multicultural city is born. Townscape : Function

Being ruled by three Western colonial powers for almost 500 years, Melaka represents an exceptional example of multi-cultural trading towns in East and Southeast Asia, forged from the mercantile and exchanges of Malay, Chinese, and Indian cultures. Unlike many cities elsewhere, Melaka showed different stages of development and the successive changes over time which were complementary. In 1511 after the Portugueses conquest of Melaka, the Portuguese consolidated their position by building a fortress at the foot of St Pauls Hill, near the mouth of the Melaka River, which they called A Formosa. The city was divided into two parts of which the governor and administrators lived within the fort while the general population lived opposite on the other side of the river. Keen to spread Christianity, the building activities of the Portuguese converted Melaka into a Christian town characterized by churches, chapels, a monastery, two hospitals and two palaces. At the same time, recognizing the function of their city as trading port and the importance of the role they play as administrators, they allowed local traditions to continue which then became a catalyst for its rich multiculturalism development. On the other side of the river, three suburbs were developed for the people, of which the largest was Tranqueira. Situated at the river mouth, it housed a cosmopolitan mixture of foreign merchants, local Malays and immigrants; Chinese, Indians, Burmese and Javanese.

Fig 4 Plan of Portuguese Fortress, 1512

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Fig 5 A Formosa

Fig 6 Fortress at St Pauls Hill

The Dutch seized Melaka in 1641. Instead of destroying the fortress built by the Portuguese, the Dutch merely took over the infrastructure, rebuilt the damaged fortifications and renamed it Porta de Santiago. Unlike the Portuguese, the Dutch were more interested in trade. While the Portuguese concentrated on the construction of fortification and churches, the Dutch built comfortable brick houses and a large administration area, the Stadhuys to house the Dutch governor and the towns civil administration as well as extended the range of building types in the city which resulted in a unique array of townhouses in Heeren 3 Street and Jonker Street. Under the single government of the Straits Settlements (Melaka, George Town and Singapore) in 1826, the British began to bring improvements in the land and sea transportation. An iron jetty at the port was built to replace the old wooden one. By 1900 the British had constructed about 320 kilometers of road in and around Melaka. Besides that, they installed a telephone and telegraph communication systems.

Fig 7 Stadhuys

Fig 8 Red Square

As a result of the successive development over the span of centuries, today, we see three clear zones in Melaka. The first is St Pauls Hill Civic Zone with a number of government buildings, museums, churches, 4 urban squares and the original fortress town from the 16th century Portuguese and Dutch period. The second is the Historic Residential and Commercial Zone, which is twice as large, with more than 600 shophouses, commercial and residential buildings, religious buildings and tombs. It is built on a somewhat irregular grid plan, with four main streets parallel to the shore and four crossing streets.

3 4

UNESCO. http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1223 UNESCO. http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1223

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Fig 9 Boundaries of Melaka; the historic Civic, Residential and Commercial Zone

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Culture

: Social

Notes on My Native Land To this corner of the world come People from China and India From Indonesia and Europe Some of the people Adopted local ways They spoke Malay Dressed Malay But still kept their customs Other stuck to their ways While firmly planting A foot on Malaysian soil The alchemy worked And today we have a nation This is a kaleidoscope Of many things and many people We all belong to this fabric Having lent a stitch To make up a whole Now we invite the world To see this tapestry

David Lazarus, 1986

The poem above succinctly captures the making of a multicultural identity. Melaka was founded by people on the move and poised to move on. Like all other trading cities along the Straits of Melaka, the people came with their own local traditions and customs and established their own systems of governments and administrations. But eventually, the city became internationalized politically, economically and socially. And then somehow with the collision and confluence of migrations indirectly establishes a multicultural identity. To further describe, Melakas development over the centuries has always been based on the merging of diverse ethnic and cultural traditions, which included the Malay, European, Muslim, Indian and Chinese influences. Not only multiracial, but also a multicultural society of tolerance, diversity and continuity. This explains the rich cultural tapestry expressed in languages, religious practices, gastronomy, ceremonies, festivals, dances, costumes, art, music and daily life. A place where cultures and religions meet and coexist, it is no surprise to see temples located adjacent to mosques and different clan halls along the same row of shophouses.

Fig 10 Culture Chettiars men

Fig 11 Cultures Chinese New Year celebration

UNESCO. http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1223

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Fig 12 Fusion Cultures Baba and Nyonya wedding ceremony The beauty of Melakas diverse society was that these various peoples lived side by side with one another but retained clear identities and allowed a fusion of ideas unified at the same time. Through a predominant respect for scale and continuity, Melaka reflects a vibrant and interesting urban landscape of value. Within their own enclaves, each community still practices its own traditions and customs. Publicly and privately the people speak their own dialects, but officially use Malay and English as their medium of communication. They perform their own religious and customary functions according to their own calendars and their own religious and social functions. But there is also blurring at the borders as each community participates in the rites and ritual of another.

Fig 13 Malay quarters, Kampung Morten

Fig 14 Chinese Clan Hall

The streets and public spaces are the "living tissues" of the city, which were perpetually used for some celebration or other, in particular for the staging of Chinese opera during the festival of the "Hungry Ghosts" and "birthdays" of deities. In the daily life, the call of the prayers from mosques, the scent of joss sticks from the Chinese temples or the ringing of bells from the Indian temples, tells us that the multi-cultural living is very much alive in Melaka.

Page 12 February 2012 A State of Multiculturalism: Changing Faces of Cities BENVUD 1 History and Theory

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Architecture

: Environment

Being ruled by three Western colonial powers, Melaka have retained a large number of administrative and buildings built by the Dutch and British. Designed in many different styles, some of these buildings adopted local styles and their planning, such as the use of large and open verandahs and corridors, open spatial planning, raised floors and ventilated roof spaces. The Dutch legacy can be seen in the design of the town square, surrounded by architectural masterpieces in the form of the Old Dutch administrative building, such as Stadthuys. Public buildings, with their emphasis on symmetrical planning, harmonious proportions and the use of classical motifs, reached their height during the period of the British rule. A testimony of their multicultural living, there are 20 religious buildings, mainly Malay mosques, Chinese temples, Indian temples and churches in Melaka. The architecture of these religious buildings is exceptional. The Malay mosques, for example adopting strict design planning, but influenced by the regional pitch roof, as well as by the Chinese, colonial and British Raj styles. The Chinese temples, on the other hand are influenced by the traditional Chinese architecture of the southern China; where as, the Indian temples very much follow the traditional Indian architecture from India. Similarly many churches are of the western styles.

Fig 15 Cheng Hoon Teng Temple

Fig 16 Kampung Kling Mosque

Fig 17 Christ Church Melaka

Fig 18 Sri Poyyatha Vinayagar Morthi Temple

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Fig 19 Three religious buildings; the Chinese, Indian and Malay along Jalan Tukang Besi As a trading port, Melaka is most remembered with their rows of shophouses fronting the narrow streets. Due to the regulations imposed by the Dutch, these buildings have clear design typology with long and 6 narrow plan, which gives scale to the buildings and the character of the streets. Mostly two and three storey height, the ground floor is designed for public purposes, mainly shops and offices; where as the upper floors are private spaces. Fronting the street, the facades are in many different styles and complexities a great variety of architectural and cultural influences from many parts of Asia and Europe reflecting the period they were built and the stature of the owners. However despite the different styles, these buildings have been adapted to local conditions in their planning, such as the use of large and open verandahs and corridors, open spatial planning, raised floors and ventilated roof spaces.

Fig 20 Typical roofscape of Melaka

Fig 21 Row of shophouses on narrow streets

UNESCO. http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1223

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Fig 22 Early shophouses; Heeren Street

Fig 23 Shophouses; Jonker Street

Fig 24 Faade; enriched by diversity in windows styles

Fig 25 Plan; long and narrow

Fig 26 Roof; steep slopes for tropical climate

Scaling down from the planning to the individual shophouse, its architectural elements and planning can be traced to the influx of Chinese immigrants from the southern coastal provinces of China. They brought with them both knowledge and methods of house construction which then adapted to local urban context. Limited by the width of the building, the general layout of a cluster of buildings was formal in character and houses resorted to a series of rooms after successive courtyards arranged longitudinally. In China, the open courtyard with trees and bushes was an essential element in a building. Geomancy or "Feng Shui" played an important part in the orientation and the site planning concepts. When this concept was brought to Melaka, the courtyards were paved and made smaller to fit into the narrow building width. According to the Chinese, air and water are symbols of wealth, peace, tranquility and good luck which may be the reason why no attempt was made to put a roof over a courtyard. Even to the smallest detail, the decoration motifs on the buildings have Chinese symbolic meanings and the figures had mythical backgrounds.

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Fig 27 Courtyard

Fig 28 Louvred windows for cross ventilation

Fig 29 Five foot walkway

Page 16 February 2012 A State of Multiculturalism: Changing Faces of Cities BENVUD 1 History and Theory

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Invisible Cities

: On Trading Ports

In Italo Calvinos Invisible Cities, Marco Polo describes the different types of trading cities to the great Kublai Khan. Each city describes about its relationship between the people and places. Polo talks of desire and memory, of desire and routine, renewal, continuity, possibility and change, bringing up the essence of some human questions, and for each there is a form, brilliantly and surprisingly conceived, that fulfills and informs that question. The five stories exaggerated the essence of different aspects; economy, social; population, social; culture, politics and infrastructure. On economy; What drives a man to travel up and down is not only the exchange of wares, buying and selling but the fires all around the market that one man tells his tales of wolves, sisters, hidden treasure, 7 battle On your return, it is a city where memory is traded. On social; population, Everyone move through the streets are strangers; each encounter, they imagine a thousand thins about one another; meetings could 8 tale place between them, conversations, surprises, caresses, bites. On social: culture, Life is renewed from move to move The city repeats its life, identical, shifting up and down on its empty chessboard. The inhabitants repeat the same scenes, with the actors changed; repeat the same speeches with variously 9 combined accents. On politics, To establish a relationship that sustains the citys life, the inhabitants stretch strings from corners of the houses, white or black or grey or black-and-white according to whether 10 they mark a relationship of blood, of trade, authority or agency. On infrastructure, there is always a choice between land and boat combination segments of various routes, each inhabitant can enjoy the 11 pleasure of a new itinerary to reach the same places, fixed and calm lives spent without any repetition. Relating the stories to Melaka, Melaka fits appropriately into Polos wonderful and fascinating descriptions; as a places where merchants gather where not only goods but also the exchange of cultures and memories. The interplay between the temporary (merchants) and the permanent (the city) allows new identity to emerge with combined cultures, giving form, character and meaning to the city.

7 8

Calvino, Italo. Invisible Cities, 31. Calvino, Italo. Invisible Cities, 44. 9 Calvino, Italo. Invisible Cities, 56 10 Calvino, Italo. Invisible Cities, 68. 11 Calvino, Italo. Invisible Cities, 79.

Page 17 February 2012 A State of Multiculturalism: Changing Faces of Cities BENVUD 1 History and Theory

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A STATE OF MULTICULTURALISM Over the last 55 years, it appears that in the name Malaysias independence of the Federation of Malaya from the British colonial rule in 1957, Melaka has witnessed the gradual disappearance of its charming character (one that embraced the social migration and changing of colonial powers) once so crucial to its multicultural identity. Then, the palimpsest of plans showed us how the city was used by different cultures that occupied it, how some of the plans were adopted and improved on, and how some of them were abandoned or erased. The city becomes the tapestry of cultures generated by history over time. Today the citys culture is uncritically equated with a living museum, affluence with history and tourism. Melaka, along with Penang, which is located in the northern part of Peninsula Malaysia, was added into UNESCOs World Heritage List on 7 July 2008.

Fig 30 Portuguese tombstone, Dutch tombstone, British graveyard (from left to right)

Fig 31 Melaka, World Heritage City, 2008 Within the grounds of the old city, ambitious urban preservation coupled with an excessive focus on the presence of the past promotes tourism. No doubt the heritage buildings; the religious, the administrative and the rows of shophouses, are the physical symbol of the progress of old Melaka. However, it is also the exchange of cultures and memories in-between these spaces; fluid, vivacious, complexity and the on-going diversity that give meaning to the multiculturalism in Melaka. More shamefully, leveraging on its tourism industry boom, its perimeter sees new projects with much of the appeal of modern buildings from being at odds with the prevailing aesthetic regime. As part of this rude awakening, brings with them changes in its culture that is considered completely unrecognized and irrelevant. One cannot help but feel that the development of Melaka as a multicultural city has been put officially on hold.

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Fig 32 Foreign invasion, old and new In Generic City, Koolhaas described European cities as being condemned to immobility, caused by their historical identity itself: The stronger the identity, the more it imprisons, the more it resists expansion, 12 interpretation, renewal, contradiction. In many ways, the development of Melaka constitutes a definitive reflection of Koolhaas description of immobility by historical identity. The old city of Melaka is now off-limits, submitted to the world declared immutable through regimes of preservation we cannot influence. All these points converge to suggest a re-evaluation of the state of multiculturalism in a city in todays context. Learning From London Multicultural identity is the result of the social and cultural commitment of the communities of urban society. 13 It is a dynamic force that colours all aspects of city down to the design of its buildings. In learning from the old city of Melaka and other great cities, multicultural construction is not the remaking or immortalizing a historical past, but to articulate a process of change to foster equity, diversity and cohesion. Not what to keep, but what to give up, what to erase and abandon. Koolhaas described Londons only identity a lack of clear identity is perpetually becoming even less London, 14 more open, less static. What makes London different is the perfect simulation it manages to enact around a subject which is ultimately considers completely irrelevant. London engages modernity on its own terms: hosting modernity without ever really entering into the obligation to modernize as a city. While other historical cities tend to stay freeze, London adapts to the change of things, almost like a permanent construction site. Its genius resides in a regime of permanent improvisation. While some areas such as Piccadilly Circus shows only the most marginal increments of change, Londons modern buildings are designed to be different and intended to remain different. True modernization now takes place in domains other than the physical. We call it a twofold paradigm shift: the move from the age of horse carriages and 15 street riots to the era of portals and websites. Communication technologies are transforming our 16 economies, our ways of learning, our methods of work; they are unmistakably reshaping our lives.

12 13 14 15 16

Gargiani, Roberto. Rem Koolhaas, OMA: The Construction of Merveilles. 230. Rogers, Richard. Cities for a Small Planet. Koolhaas, Rem. Five Cities: Generic Cities. Taipale, Kaarin. http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1309/is_2_43/ai_n27007455/ Rogers, Richard. Cities for a Small Planet.

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Compared to Melaka, London maybe the ultimate demonstration that being modern and practicing modern architecture have become distinctly different things. Cumulatively, the endless contradictions provide the richness in its present multicultural construction. We find the culture of the city in spaces between the past, present and future. Going East The proliferation of urban cores found in Asia and the increasing economic might of their central cities offer an intriguing look into both present and future: through its combination of population density and GDP growth, it appears that East Asia is emerging as the worlds demographic and economic centre, an urban 17 core of global proportions. The development in developing Asian cities accelerated when China opened up its economic development to the rest of the world in the late 1970s. The new economic connections between Asia and the rest of world, China in particular, started an unintentional and uncontrolled development of an unprecedented scale both in terms of area and magnitude of change. Now thirty years, China sees a strong development of a new city life in the region, of contrasting the existing types of urbanism; iconic and hypermodern. Unlike London, almost every new building is an iconic masterpiece, with no room to adapt to the existing. Koolhaas sees Asian cities aspire to be Generic Cities as to homogenization was an intentional process, a conscious movement away from difference towards 18 similarity. Is discarding the product of eastern civilization the new direction to move forward? Does this set the right example for the development in the Asian region? Asian cities are at the same time an economic unity but totally different individual cities. Sharing a new global function, confronted with each other, they should to rethink about their relationship. Is pursuing iconic as the exceptional towards homogenization the only option? Many cities in the Asian region have a long history. While most of the cities still were determined to developed their own city life and culture, none was able to respond to the new development of the region instantly in a planned and controlled manner. Each city is undergoing its unique transformation. In the 1980s, Hong Kong, the classical gateway from the West into China, was preparing for the handover, with its new identity waiting to be discovered and shaped. In less than two decades since Chinas economic reform, Shenzhen, driven by a new labour force that came from rural areas from all over China, grew from a village into an economic powerhouse. Other cities in Asia have to adjust their inherent historical regional strength in order to find a new regional position with an international outlook. New relationships and city cultures were invented, initiated and produced at a pace never displayed anywhere else in the world. Asian cities are too focus on urban development due to the influx of migration. The speed of decision-making is based not on scientific explanation but purely intuitive. No prediction of its outcome could be foreseen. However, there are exceptions. Hong Kong has seen their new city cultures and regional functions gone 19 through the first stages of development. The first conclusion of the development can be drawn and the first prediction of its potential can be made; the new social order of the region has been established and its social and cultural values can be analysed. As the sphere of influence expands, the development of Hong Kong may provide a strong base for upcoming Asian cities. Under the new dynamics of Asia, a melting pot of new city cultures for the future can be intentionally planned. Mutual adjustments and emphasis of cultural differences will bring benefits as a unity. The identity of the region as a whole can be established and can be intentionally strengthened while the cultural uniqueness of each city, which is undoubtly evident, can be magnified to establish a strong identity for each city within the overall cultural and social structure.

17 18

Koolhaas, Rem. Content. 97. Koolhaas, Rem. Five Cities: Generic Cities. 19 Barrie Shelton, Justyna Karakiewicz, Thomas Kvan. The Making of Hong Kong: From Vertical to Volumetric.

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Within the mutual planned adjustments, current unplanned social dimension and unique interaction between the inhabitants are preserved on both the city and the regional scale. Contrary to the state of randomness, the acknowledgement of existing cultures is key to the development, thus preservation, but not in the UNESCO sense. Preservation is often perceived as the preservation of the historical physical past, which is under the constant threat to be erased by the aggressive economic development. Instead of a pre-historical condition, both the development/ preservation of the physical environment and the development/ preservation of this social interaction will determine the overall future of the Asia. In fact, preservation should have a much stronger social and cultural dimension rooted in the communication between people, between cities and between countries. It is all about connecting the dots of differences and similarities. Last but not least, mutual adjustment should be made between the different cities to bring coherence at the beginning, while the same time the unique, optimistic, unintentional, social ingenuity and cultural energy are maintained. Careful consideration of the context becomes good effort. Together, the future development of the relationship between Asian cities will be determined by the exploration of not only the social and cultural connections but also the infrastructural connection between the cities. CONCLUSION The old city of Melaka has always been held as a historical city model of multiculturalism. Within this context, it has been the changing of colonial powers as much as strategic geographical location along the Straits of Melaka which have enabled the diversity and exchange of cultures. The main positive qualities of the city that have emerged in Melaka are each unique, and together extremely rare; a. A historical representation of maritime urban settlements development in Asia and the contribution of diverse ethnic and cultural groups in the layering of the present cities b. The adaptation of European geometric patterns to settlements in Asia, with local characteristics such as the long narrow plots for shophouses and town houses. c. The coexistence of architecture constructed in diverse periods and trends, including Portuguese, Dutch, Muslim, Indian and Chinese legacies. d. A rich collection of shophouses, exhibiting different architectural styles. e. Multiculturalism beyond physical substance which illustrates clear identities of different ethnic community while at the same time, allows fusion to generate a specific cultural identity. Once a manifestation of the ideal constructed based on colonial blueprints, Melaka is now dead. Moving forward, we need to find a new definition for multicultural construction. How best to describe it? Close our eyes and extend our imagination. The three cities; Melaka, London and Asian cities in general, provide a unique base in rethinking the subject. We study cities because it is interesting to know and handy for making predictions. The problems of todays cities may not be the result of rampant development, but of its rampant misinterpretation. The definition should consists four elements; connections, context, coincidence and coherence. The beauty of Melakas diverse society retaining clear identities and allowing a fusion of ideas unified at the same time? Londons tradition of accommodating change without really having to change its physical substance? If we could be articulate about the way we feel about why we feel that way, we might be prepared to make effective changes for cities. This is not a specific checklist for the construction of a multicultural identity in cities today. But I personally think the conclusions drawn from the three cities are interesting and relevant for the people in the West and the rest of the world, in discussing the new direction to go, politically, economically, and ultimately, the making of multicultural identity.
20

20

Lynch, Kevin. Good City Form.

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BIBLIOGRAPHY Literature Barrie Shelton, Justyna Karakiewicz, Thomas Kvan. The Making of Hong Kong: From Vertical to Volumetric, Routledge, 2011. Calvino, Italo. Invisible Cities, Vintage Classics, 1997. Chen, Voon Fee. Encyclopedia of Malaysia: Architecture v. 5, Archipelago Press,1999. Gargiani, Roberto. Rem Koolhaas, OMA: The Construction of Merveilles. Cambridge, EPFL Press, 2008. Hussin, Nordin. Trade And Society in the Straits of Melaka: Dutch Melaka And English Penang, 1780-1830, Nias-Nordic Institute of Asian Studies Monograph Series, 2005. Lynch, Kevin. Good City Form. Cambridge, Mass: MIT, 1984. Lynch, Kevin. The Image of The City. Cambridge, Mass: MIT, 1964. Koolhaas, Rem. Content. Taschen, 2004. Koolhaas, Rem. Five Cities: Generic Cities. Amuti Editions, 2011. Rogers, Richard. Cities for a Small Planet. Faber and Faber, 1997. Websites George Town World Heritage Office. Melaka & George Town Historic Cities of the Straits of Malacca http://investpenang.gov.my/portal/pdf/2_Maimunah_Introduction_to_George_Town_World_Heritage _Site.pdf Weiti'mage Photography. Melaka http://photography.weitimage.com/albumpage.asp?id=Malaysia&pg=melaka APSA 2005 Penang. The Old Shophouses as Part of Malaysian Urban Heritage: The Current Dilemma http://www.vintagemalaya.com/files/The_Oldshophouses_As_Part_Of_Malaysian_Urban_Heritage_ The_Current_Dilemma.pdf OWHC. Melaka, Malaysia, http://www.ovpm.org/en/malaysia/melaka Taipale, Kaarin. From the Piazza to the Internet: the shift from local public space to global public sphere http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1309/is_2_43/ai_n27007455/ UNESCO. Melaka and George Town, Historic Cities of the Straits of Malacca http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1223 Exhibitions Barbican. OMA/Progress 6 Oct 2011 - 19 Feb 2012