Making sense of place-making in Penang island’s affordable housing schemes: voices from key stakeholders

Abstract

The housing agenda shifted its paradigm from housing as basic needs to housing as rights. It became widely contested when ‘affordable housing’ entered the discourse. Contextualising it for Penang island within the ‘Right to the City’ principle, the element of place-making emerged which questions a person’s right to construct one’s own habitat, or is it constrained to decisions by powerful elites. This study attempts to make sense of place-making in Penang island’s affordable housing schemes by dissecting voices from key stakeholders. The qualitative techniques used revealed that home owners are voiceless in the place-making process. A clearer affordable housing definition and a needs-based approach are recommended.

Keywords

• place-making
• right to city
• right to housing
• affordable housing
• penang island