Grants add vibrancy to George Town
THINK City has launched its latest publication, Rejuvenating The City Together: The George Town Grants Programme (GTGP), in Penang.
The book documents various aspects of the community-led urban regeneration initiative, from the projects to the grantees and more.
It is stated that a total of RM16.3mil was disbursed through grants focused on public realm improvement, capacity building, building conservation and preserving intangible heritage.
The biggest portion of the grants was towards conserving built heritage, and by the end of the GTGP in 2014, more than 80 buildings had been restored — including the Cheah Kongsi, Masjid Kapitan Keling and Ren I Tang.
Besides helping create a more vibrant and liveable city, GTGP’s impact assessment also roughly created 600 direct and indirect jobs.
The pilot project’s success paved the way for similar grants programmes to be introduced and implemented in Butterworth, Kuala Lumpur and Johor Baru.
At the launching ceremony at Bangunan UAB in China Street Ghaut recently, Think City chairman Datuk Anwar Fazal described the process as a ‘journey of physical transformation’.
“Heritage goes beyond physical buildings, but also includes the people and community. Because without their stories, buildings don’t speak,” he highlighted.
Read more at the source: The Star Malyasia
Think City’s efforts in George Town are continued through the George Town Corporation for Development and Conservation (GTCDC), a tripartite partnership with the Chief Minister Incorporated and Aga Khan Trust.
Ismailimail 