Branding George Town world heritage site as city of gastronomy: prospects of creative cities strategy in Penang

Abstract

Purpose – This paper aims to discuss the prevalent trends of exploiting cultural capital such as gastronomic legacy to ignite redevelopment of contemporary cities as illustrated in the city of George Town, Penang, Malaysia. In the twenty-first century, cities are transforming to be creative cities as they compete globally on the basis of their respective city branding, image and identity, as well as cultural capital assets. The emerging importance of cultural capital complements the realms of politics, economics and built environment in creating sustainable urban structure and ecosystem. Design/methodology/approach – In line with UNESCO’s creative cities network flagship, this paper showcases George Town’s potentials in propagating its gastronomic appeals as a strategic urban asset to regenerate the urban economy. Findings – This paper postulates branding George Town World Heritage Site as a creative city under the theme of “City of Gastronomy” would successfully capture the city’s gastronomic prowess, image and identity at the global scene. Originality/value – Given that research in “culture and urban planning” is still at its infancy and largely absent in the Malaysian context, this study aims to fill that research gap and contributes towards existing scholarship. The findings from this test bed study will benefit key stakeholders, especially urban policymakers (i.e. Local Council, State Government and Federal Government) towards reforming and revolutionising contemporary urban policies towards sustainable development.