Identifying barriers for sustainable townscape development: Challenges in Malaysia

Sustainability has become a key concept in urban development, with increasing attention being paid to creating a townscape that is both environmentally friendly and socially inclusive. However, the townscape quality in Malaysia has been criticised as having poor quality in general. Many cities in Malaysia suffered from a lack of attention or awareness of the importance of a good quality of townscape, resulting in a lack of character and identity of the place. This research presents the findings of a focus group discussion research method on the factors contributing to the barriers for sustainable townscape development in Malaysia. This involved five urban design experts from both academia and industry. The data were analysed by adopting the thematic analysis matrix and analysed using Atlas.Ti software and five themes were established. The framework of “Barriers for Sustainable Townscape Development in Malaysia” is beneficial to policymakers, local authorities and practitioners in ensuring the enforcement of good development and meeting the need for a sustainable townscape in Malaysia.