Urban Design Study on Kota Bharu City Centre, Kelantan, Malaysia

Urban design elements within a city play a vital role in stimulating mental mapping in personal perception of the city. A comprehensive urban trail has been conducted focusing on a city centre to study the elements of urbanism and planning strategies by the government of Kelantan to make sure the functionality and its character representation of Kota Bharu, Kelanta, recently rebranded as an Islamic City. The incorporation of the Islamic city design approach, urban planning and community building ideas towards a better city have been taken into considerations by the authoriies in Kelantan in developing and presenting the ideas of the Islamic City. The strategic and pragmatic urban design approaches adopted by the government of Kelantan, by indicating the specific zoning within the city centre itself, have indirectly strengthened the city developmental identity. Hence, this study shows that urban design elements play an essential role in creating a specific mental mapping in personal perception regarding Kota Bharu city centre.