The role of spatial urban fabric in sustaining cultural resilience: craft, trade, and social life in Kuala Kangsar.

Kuala Kangsar, the royal town of Perak, is well known for its rich cultural heritage and traditional crafts such as labu sayong pottery, tekat embroidery, and songket weaving. These crafts, together with trade and social life in markets, streets, and public spaces, have long contributed to the town’s identity and cultural resilience. However, the rapid pace of modernisation, globalisation, and urban development has created new challenges. Younger generations are becoming less interested in continuing traditional craft practices, while modern industries and changing spatial structures are reshaping the areas where cultural activities once flourished. These issues threaten the sustainability of Kuala Kangsar’s cultural traditions and local identity