Central George Town | |
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Bandar George Town | |
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Central George Town is bounded in black within George Town | |
Coordinates: 5°24′47.019″N100°19′50.7426″E / 5.41306083°N 100.330761833°E | |
Country | ![]() |
State | ![]() |
City | ![]() |
Incorporated (city) | 1 January 1957 |
Government | |
• Type | City council |
• Body | Penang Island City Council |
• Mayor | Rajendran P. Anthony |
• City Secretary | Cheong Chee Hong |
Area | |
• Total | 19 km2 (7 sq mi) |
Population (2020) [1] | |
• Total | 158,336 |
• Density | 8,300/km2 (22,000/sq mi) |
Postal code | 100xx |
Area code(s) | +6042 |
Part of | Melaka and George Town, the Historic Cities of the Straits of Malacca |
Criteria | Cultural: ii, iii, iv |
Reference | 1223-002 |
Inscription | 2008 (32nd Session) |
Area | 109.38 ha |
Buffer zone | 150.04 ha |
Central George Town is the city centre of George Town, the capital of the Malaysian state of Penang. It corresponds to the eponymous mukim of George Town, which is mostly identical to the original city limits established when George Town was granted city status in 1957. [2] [3]
Encompassing 19 km2 (7.3 sq mi) of the northeastern promontory of Penang Island, the city centre stretches from Gurney Drive in the northwest to The Light Waterfront development in the southeast, encompassing the Central Business District and the 260 ha (2.6 km2) UNESCO World Heritage Site. [4] It is also home to the seats of the executive and legislative branches of the Penang state government.
George Town's modern history dates back to 17 July 1786 when Francis Light first set foot at what is now Fort Cornwallis within the downtown area. Over time, the city expanded from the tip of the northeastern cape of Penang Island, eventually reaching its original city limits when it was granted city status in 1957. However, Jelutong was later carved out of the southernmost corner of the city centre as a separate mukim in 1966. [2]
Prior to the independence of Malaya in 1957, George Town had been conferred city status by Queen Elizabeth II, making it the first city within the new nation. In the post-independence years, George Town remained the largest and only city in Malaya. This continued until 1963 when Singapore was incorporated into the Malaysian federation, displacing George Town as the largest city of the country. However, Singapore's expulsion from Malaysia almost two years later left George Town once again as the sole city in Malaysia until 1974 when Kuala Lumpur was granted city status.
The merger of the George Town City Council with the Penang Island Rural District Council in 1974 sparked a debate over George Town's city status that lasted for decades. While George Town was once again conferred city status in 2015, the city's jurisdiction was expanded to cover the entirety of Penang Island and surrounding islets, far beyond George Town's original city limits. [5] Today, the mukim of George Town is considered the economic and political heart of the city.
The city centre of George Town encompasses 19 km2 (7.3 sq mi) of the northeastern plains of Penang Island, forming the basin of the Pinang River, the main river system on the island. Aside from the 260 ha (2.6 km2) UNESCO World Heritage Site which marks the city's old core, the area also includes newer neighborhoods like Karpal Singh Drive and The Light Waterfront. The city centre shares boundaries with Tanjong Tokong to the northwest, Air Itam to the west, and Jelutong and Gelugor to the south.
The city's Central Business District (CBD), an economic corridor that contains much of George Town's financial and services sectors, lies entirely within the city centre. [6] The UNESCO World Heritage Zone that covers the northeastern tip of Penang Island is entirely encompassed by the CBD.
Year | Pop. | ±% |
---|---|---|
1911 | 101,182 | — |
1921 | 123,069 | +21.6% |
1931 | 149,408 | +21.4% |
1947 | 189,068 | +26.5% |
1957 | 234,903 | +24.2% |
1970 | 269,247 | +14.6% |
1980 | 250,578 | −6.9% |
1991 | 219,603 | −12.4% |
2000 | 180,573 | −17.8% |
2010 | 198,298 | +9.8% |
2020 | 158,336 | −20.2% |
Source: [7] |
As of 2020 [update] , the city centre was home to 158,336 residents, or nearly +1⁄5 of George Town's total population. [8] [9] In spite of being the commercial and political heart of Penang however, the city centre has witnessed a decline in population since the late 20th century, owing to the rapid industrialisation and economic growth of the suburbs, coupled with the repeal of the Rent Control Act in 2001. [10] [11] [12] [13] Nonetheless, the city centre remains relatively popular among expatriates within George Town, comprising over 5.3% of the city centre's population in 2010. [14]
In recent years, the state's authorities, under the governance of Pakatan Harapan, have begun undertaking various measures to rejuvenate and rehabilitate the area. This includes exploring the economic synergies between the city centre and Butterworth on the mainland under the 'Penang Bay' concept. [15] [16] [7]
Since its inception, the city centre of George Town has functioned as the financial hub of Penang. In the late 19th century, George Town emerged as the primary financial centre of British Malaya, attracting major international banks such as Standard Chartered, HSBC, and the Royal Bank of Scotland. [17] [18] Most of these banks formed a financial cluster in the vicinity of Beach Street. [17] [19] [20]
Today, much of George Town's financial services remain concentrated within the Central Business District (CBD). The CBD is home to international banks, federal financial institutions like Bank Negara and the Employees Provident Fund, and ancillary services such as auditing, market intelligence and legal firms. [21] [22] [23] The Penang Island City Council's Local Plan 2030 proposed the CBD as one of the city's four economic corridors, along with the Bayan Baru – Bayan Lepas, Tanjong Tokong – Tanjong Bungah and Batu Ferringhi – Teluk Bahang corridors. [24] Encompassing areas such as the city's UNESCO World Heritage Site, Pulau Tikus, Kampung Siam, Kampong Serani and Ayer Rajah, the CBD was envisioned as the centre for financial and service sectors, with the aim of enhancing George Town's position as a global city.
The city centre boasts a flourishing retail industry that combines modern shopping malls with traditional shophouses. The Central Business District (CBD) houses several of the city's most popular malls, including Gurney Plaza, Gurney Paragon, 1st Avenue, Prangin Mall, Komtar, GAMA and Penang Times Square. In 2022, Gurney Plaza and Komtar were among the top five destinations in Penang among domestic tourists. [25] In addition, markets and traditional shops, such as Chowrasta Market and Little India, offer a wide array of local products like spices, nutmegs and Tambun biscuits, a delicacy unique to the state. [20] [26] [27]
Due to the UNESCO World Heritage Site's increasing popularity as a tourist destination, there has been a significant increase in the number of accommodation, food and beverages (F&B), and other hospitality-related businesses within the area. According to a Think City report in 2021, a decade after the UNESCO listing, hotels occupied almost 18% of the heritage zone's land use, which is the highest among all business categories. This shift was attributable to the surge in tourist arrivals, which also caused a significant economic shift from financial to hospitality services. [20]
The city centre hosts several prominent secondary schools that were established during British rule. Founded in 1816, Penang Free School is the oldest English school in Southeast Asia. British colonial rule had also encouraged the growth of mission schools such as St. Xavier's Institution, St. George's Girls' School and Methodist Boys' School, all of which are located within the city centre. [28] In addition, the city centre is home to three international and expatriate schools – Penang Japanese School, St. Christopher's International Primary School and Wesley Methodist School Penang. [29]
The area is also a tertiary education hub, housing a significant number of private colleges and universities such as Wawasan Open University, Han Chiang University College of Communication, DISTED College and RCSI & UCD Malaysia Campus. [30] [31] In 2016, the Penang state government inaugurated the Penang Digital Library, a first-of-its-kind facility in Malaysia situated within the Penang Free School compound. [32] The library provides structured access to more than 3,000 specially-curated ebooks. [33]
The 1,100-bedded Penang General Hospital within the city centre serves as the main tertiary referral hospital within northwestern Malaysia. [34] Aside from the public hospital, the city centre is a popular destination for medical tourism, boasting some of Penang's leading private hospitals such as Penang Adventist Hospital, Gleneagles Hospital, Island Hospital and Loh Guan Lye Specialists Centre. [35] The private hospitals in Penang have contributed significantly to the growth of medical tourism in the state, generating a revenue of more than RM356 million in 2022 from medical tourist arrivals. [36]
The City Stadium is the home ground of Penang FC, the professional football club that represents Penang in interstate tournaments. [37] [38] The city centre is also home to the oldest equestrian centre in Malaysia – the Penang Turf Club, which was established in 1864. [39] It is among the few venues in the country that hosts thoroughbred racing events, with the others being the Perak Turf Club and Selangor Turf Club. [40]
Penang Road, Dato Keramat Road, Gurney Drive, Northam Road and Green Lane are some of the centuries-old municipal roads that still serve as major thoroughfares within the city centre. The George Town Inner Ring Road, which comprises Gurney Drive, Jalan Pangkor, Jalan Perak and Jalan Sungai Pinang, forms a loop within the city centre.
Additionally, the city centre is home to Swettenham Pier, the busiest port-of-call for cruise shipping in Malaysia, and the Raja Tun Uda Ferry Terminal, which provides a ferry service linking the city centre with mainland Seberang Perai. [41] Most of Rapid Penang's city-wide routes also originate from the Komtar bus terminal, which acts as the central public bus terminal for the city. [42] [43] In a bid to reduce reliance on private vehicles and traffic congestion, the Penang state government introduced LinkBike, a public bicycle-sharing system, within the city centre in 2017. [44]
Land reclamation has a long history within the city centre, dating back to the 19th century when British administrators reclaimed a section of the present-day coastline Beach Street. [45] However, it wasn't until the end of the 20th century that extensive land reclamation was carried out to provide more valuable land for development, such as at Karpal Singh Drive and The Light Waterfront. [45] [46] Additionally, a stretch of the Gurney Drive shoreline has been transformed into Gurney Bay, planned as a seafront public recreational space.
To address the worsening traffic congestion in Penang, the state government has planned to introduce urban rail throughout the state, which includes the proposed 29 km (18 mi) Bayan Lepas LRT that stretches through the city centre. [47] This light rail line is envisioned to have an interchange station at Komtar, linking the city centre with Tanjong Tokong and Tanjong Bungah to the north, and with Bayan Baru and the Penang International Airport to the south. [48] [49]
Penang is a Malaysian state located on the northwest coast of Peninsular Malaysia, by the Malacca Strait. It has two parts: Penang Island, where the capital city, George Town, is located, and Seberang Perai on the Malay Peninsula. These two halves are physically connected by the Penang Bridge and the Second Penang Bridge. The state shares borders with Kedah to the north and east, and Perak to the south.
George Town is the capital of the Malaysian state of Penang and the core city of the George Town Conurbation, Malaysia's second largest metropolitan area with a population of 2.84 million and the second highest contributor to the country's GDP. The city proper spans an area of 306 km2 (118 sq mi) encompassing Penang Island and surrounding islets, and had a population of 794,313 as of 2020.
Penang Island is the main constituent island of the Malaysian state of Penang. It is located off the western coast of Peninsular Malaysia by the Malacca Strait, with the Penang Strait separating the island from Seberang Perai on the mainland. The 295 km2 (114 sq mi) island makes up approximately 28% of Penang's total land mass and is home to about 45% of the state's population as of 2020. The entire island falls under the city of George Town, which also administers the surrounding islets.
Balik Pulau is a suburb of George Town within the Malaysian state of Penang. Located 12.7 km (7.9 mi) southwest of the city centre, it lies near the southwestern corner of Penang Island and is also the administrative seat of the Southwest Penang Island District.
Bayan Lepas is a suburb of George Town in the Malaysian state of Penang. Located near the southeastern tip of Penang Island, 15 km (9.3 mi) south of the city centre, it is home to the Penang International Airport, the third busiest airport in Malaysia, as well as one of the oldest free industrial zones in the country.
Tanjong Tokong is a suburb of George Town in the Malaysian state of Penang. It is located at the northeastern coast of Penang Island, 4 km (2.5 mi) northwest of the city centre. Over the recent decades, the former fishing village has been transformed into an upper class residential suburb of the city, with high-rises such as Straits Quay lining the coast.
Tanjong Bungah is a suburb of George Town in the Malaysian state of Penang. It is located along the northern coast of Penang Island between Batu Ferringhi and Tanjong Tokong, about 6.5 km (4.0 mi) northwest of the city centre. Tanjong Bungah is well known as a beach destination, with several hotels and resorts lining the beaches within the area. Decades of urbanisation has also led to the mushrooming of residential high-rises at the suburb.
Bayan Baru is a suburb of George Town in the Malaysian state of Penang. Located 11 km (6.8 mi) south of the city centre, it lies adjacent to the Bayan Lepas Free Industrial Zone, between Relau, Sungai Ara, Bayan Lepas and Bukit Jambul.
Sungai Ara is a residential neighbourhood within the city of George Town in the Malaysian state of Penang. Located 11.9 km (7.4 mi) south of the city centre, it lies between Relau, Bayan Baru and Bayan Lepas.
Teluk Kumbar is a suburb of George Town within the Malaysian state of Penang. It is located about 17.8 km (11.1 mi) south of the city centre, at the southern coast of Penang Island between Bayan Lepas to the east and Gertak Sanggul to the west.
The South-West District is a district within the Malaysian state of Penang. The district covers the southwestern half of Penang Island and borders the North-East to the north-east. It has an area of 175 km2 (68 sq mi) and a population of 197,131 as of 2010. Balik Pulau is the district's administrative centre, while Bayan Lepas is the largest town within the district.
The North-East District is a district within the Malaysian state of Penang. The district covers the northeastern half of Penang Island, including the centre of George Town, Penang's capital city. It has an area of 122.79 km2 (47.41 sq mi) and a population of 510,996 as of 2010. The district borders the South-West District (Penang)|South-West District to the south-west.
Seri Tanjong Pinang is a residential neighbourhood within the city of George Town in the Malaysian state of Penang. The neighbourhood, located within the Tanjong Tokong suburb, lies 4.5 km (2.8 mi) northwest of the city centre and was created on land reclaimed in the 1990s.
Gertak Sanggul is a coastal village within the city of George Town in the Malaysian state of Penang. It is located at the southwestern coast of Penang Island, about 21 km (13 mi) southwest of the city centre. Gertak Sanggul is an agricultural village, with fisheries and pig farming as its economic mainstays.
The Greater Penang Conurbation, also known as the George Town Conurbation, is the built-up urban or metropolitan area within and around the Malaysian state of Penang. Encompassing all of Penang, and parts of the neighbouring states of Kedah and Perak, the conurbation was home to over 2.84 million people as of 2020, the second largest in the country after the Klang Valley.
The Bayan Lepas LRT line is a proposed light rapid transit (LRT) line in the Malaysian state of Penang. As part of the Penang Transport Master Plan (PTMP), it will spans 26.8 km (16.7 mi) line within the main underground station of KOMTAR in the city center of George Town with the industrial town of Bayan Lepas to the south.
The George Town Central Business District (CBD) is the financial and political centre of the city of George Town, the capital of the Malaysian state of Penang. The financial district, which was first envisioned by the Penang Island City Council's Local Plan 2030, lies entirely within the city centre, and is home to much of the city's banking and financial services. The term CBD is often used interchangeably with Downtown George Town, encompassing both the historic core and modern sections of the city centre.
Cycling in Penang Island refers to the use of bicycles in the city of George Town and elsewhere on Penang Island, Malaysia, either for recreational, touring or transportation purposes. While bicycles have long been in use in Penang, with rickshaws becoming a unique application of the pedal-driven vehicle in the state, the usage of bicycles has noticeably declined since the late 20th century due to the proliferation of cars as the main transportation mode.
LinkBike is a public bicycle sharing system serving the city of George Town in Penang, Malaysia. Launched in 2016, it is the first such system in Malaysia. Currently, there are 250 LinkBike bicycles and 25 stations throughout the city, including its UNESCO World Heritage Site, as well as suburban places like Queensbay Mall.
Permatang Damar Laut is a coastal village within the city of George Town in the Malaysian state of Penang. It is located at the southern tip of Penang Island, about 17 km (11 mi) south of the city centre, making it the southernmost human settlement on the island. The village is hemmed in between the Penang International Airport to the north and the Malacca Strait to the south.