The Role of Attachment in Creating Sustainable Sense of Place for Traditional Streets in Alor Setar, Malaysia

Abstract

In urban design research, it is vital to search the role of place attachment as an element that places significant
meanings that include physical characteristics, activity and meaning that contribute to the sense of place. In
urban studies, most of the study leads to the importance of physical characteristics and activities towards the
sense of place; however, research on place attachment roles as part of the sense of place has not been
sufficiently done. This paper aims to search the role of place attachment in creating a sustainable sense of
place in two main traditional streets in Alor Setar, Jalan Tunku Yaakub in Pekan Cina (JTY) and Jalan
Kampung Perak (JKP). Field survey and Semi-structured interviews were conducted as a data collection
method, and all the content were analysed to accomplish a thorough interpretation of the findings. The
findings show that users attached to the traditional street in Alor Setar, Kedah, dominate and influence the
place's identity. The street view is vital in daily engagement attached whereas, the mobile users of the streets
are primarily attached in terms of functionality. In addition, the meaning and history also influence the user's
attachment to the place. In conclusion, the roles of place attachment on traditional streets attributes should
be considered to sustain the sense of place for the future development in Alor Setar.