Chan, Jin H. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6275-9763, Lean, Hooi Hooi and Qi, Xiaoguang (2017) Transition of economic structure and demography: The case of tourism gentrification in George Town, Penang. In: International Society for the Study of Chinese Overseas Conference 2017, 18-19 Novermber 2017, Nagasaki, Japan.

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Abstract

Gentrification of George Town has begun since 1997 after the revoked of Rent Control Act 1966. The inscription as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2008 has unfortunately exacerbated the pace of gentrification in George Town (Lim et al., 2014). With the influx of new capital and investment in housing stock, as well as tourists, gentrification could induce displacement of long-term residents, causing erosion of local culture.

Nonetheless, culture is a powerful driver of local social and economic transition, which could open up many new opportunities. Cultural and creative district has been an important tool in fostering the development of urban centres and revitalising neighbourhoods in decline (Landry, 2000; Scott, 2000), making cities attractive both for entrepreneurs and employers, as well as tourists. For instance, George Town has 3177 businesses, where 660 are new establishments, ranging from hotels and restaurants to arts, fashion, culture and craft businesses in 2013 (Think City, 2014).

We propose that the interaction between local residents in George Town, predominantly overseas Chinese, and tourists, would nurtures creative ideas leading to innovation and entrepreneurial activities. This will enable self-gentrification (Chan et al., 2016a) supporting a broader socio-economic transition of local residents.

Item Type:	Conference or Conference Paper (Paper)
Uncontrolled Keywords:	World Heritage Site; Cultural Change; Gentrification; Overseas Chinese; Innovation
Faculty / School / Research Centre / Research Group:	Faculty of Business > Department of Systems Management & Strategy Faculty of Business > Networks and Urban Systems Centre (NUSC) > Supply Chain Management Research Group
Last Modified:	06 Jun 2018 13:46
URI:	http://gala.gre.ac.uk/id/eprint/19990

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