George Town Heritage City traditional shophouses residents respond to COVID-19 pandemic: Issues and possible solutions

ABSTRACT

The high rate of mortality and global panic for the past 6 months because of Covid-19 pandemic calls for concern. Among the precautionary measures from international health organizations and governments to her citizens are the total lock-down, self-isolation, physical distancing, and handwashing mechanisms. Thus, this study attempts to investigate the effectiveness and efficiency of these mechanisms by residents and tourists in George Town Heritage City traditional shophouses and proffer possible ways to mitigate future pandemics, especially concerning interior design components of a typical traditional shophouse. To achieve this, a phenomenology type of qualitative research was adopted. Data were collected via observations of selected traditional shophouses in George Town Heritage City, face-to-face interviews conducted, and validated via secondary sources. Findings show that it is difficult to practice some of the precautionary measures as recommended by appropriate authorities in majority of the George Town Heritage City traditional shophouses because of renovation and modernization to the original design. As part of the practical implications, this study is advocating for the modification of future design and construction to mitigate the spread of the contagious pandemic in shophouses. Also, this paper intends to stir-up key stakeholders and open new areas for future research.

KEYWORDS:

• Covid-19
• George Town
• Heritage City
• pandemic
• physical distancing
• traditional shophouse

Acknowledgements

Deepest gratitude to the author’s PhD supervisor (Professor Dr. Azizi Bahauddin), for his valuable advice and thoroughness in guiding his thesis in Interior Design Section, School of Housing, Building and Planning, Universiti Sains Malaysia. Also, the author is grateful to the participants whom put their precious time and provided constructive knowledge that enhanced the quality of this paper, as well as the anonymous reviewers.

Supplementary material

Supplemental data for this article can be accessed online at https://doi.org/10.1080/10911359.2020.1833805