Macallum Street Ghaut

Macallum Street Ghaut
Neighbourhood of George Town
Other transcription(s)
 • MalayGat Lebuh Macallum (Rumi)
 • Mandarin五条路海墘 (Simplified)
五條路海墘 (Traditional)
Wǔtiáo lù hǎi qián (Pinyin)
Map
Macallum Street Ghaut is located in Central George Town, Penang
Macallum Street Ghaut
Macallum Street Ghaut
Location within    George Town in    Penang
Coordinates: 5°24′22.7658″N 100°19′57.5898″E / 5.406323833°N 100.332663833°E / 5.406323833; 100.332663833
Country Malaysia
State Penang
City George Town
Founded1985
Government
 • Local governmentPenang Island City Council
 • Mayor of Penang IslandRajendran P. Anthony
 • Pengkalan Kota State AssemblymanWong Yuee Harng (DAP)
 • Tanjong Member of ParliamentLim Hui Ying (DAP)
Time zoneUTC+8 (MST)
 • Summer (DST)Not observed
Postal code
10300
Websitembpp.gov.my

Macallum Street Ghaut is a residential neighbourhood within the city of George Town in the Malaysian state of Penang. Situated within the city's central business district, it comprises seven blocks of low-cost public housing built on reclaimed land off Macallum Street, known as the Macallum Street Ghaut flats.[1][2] The first apartment blocks were completed in 1985, and they remain among the few formalised low-cost housing areas in the vicinity of the city's UNESCO World Heritage Site.[1][3]

History

In the years following Malaya's independence, the Penang state government expressed interest in developing low-cost public housing. This brought the state government into conflict with the George Town City Council over the provision of affordable housing within the limits of George Town.[4] In 1969, the Penang Development Corporation (PDC) was formed under the direction of newly elected Chief Minister Lim Chong Eu, partly to address the issue of urban overcrowding within the city.[5]

As part of the solution, Macallum Street Ghaut (ghat) was designated one of the four Comprehensive Development Areas (CDA) in the city proper.[5] The PDC planned to reclaim 20.2 hectares (50 acres) off Macallum Street to build inexpensive European-style apartment blocks to house residents displaced by the concurrent Komtar project nearby.[1][5] The Macallum Street Ghaut flats were the first public housing project undertaken by the PDC, to be followed by similar projects at Kedah Road and Bayan Baru.[1]

By 1985, three 22-storey blocks and two 12-storey blocks containing a total of 1,469 residential units were completed.[1] In total, seven apartment blocks were constructed and remain a major inhabited residential pocket at the periphery of George Town's UNESCO World Heritage Site, in spite of the continuing depopulation of the city centre.[2][3]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d e Penang: Looking Back, Looking Ahead, 20 Years of Progress. George Town: Penang Development Corporation. 1990. p. 34. ISBN 983996951X.
  2. ^ a b Moroter, Tanushalini (2 Jan 2020). "New lifts bring comfort and cheers to Macallum Street Ghaut residents". Buletin Mutiara. Retrieved 5 Apr 2024.
  3. ^ a b "George Town World Heritage Site: Population and Land Use Census 2009—2019" (PDF). Think City. 2021. Archived (PDF) from the original on 4 December 2023. Retrieved 22 December 2023.
  4. ^ Penang Past and Present, 1786-1963. George Town: George Town City Council. 1966. pp. 98–99.
  5. ^ a b c Jenkins, Gwynn (2008). Contested Space: Cultural Heritage and Identity Reconstructions : Conservation Strategies Within a Developing Asian City. LIT Verlag Münster. ISBN 9783825813666.