ALIGNING CULTURAL HERITAGE INNOVATION WITH THE SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS: PLANNING PERSPECTIVES FROM THE INSPIRE INITIATIVE
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.21837/pm.v24i42.2045Keywords:
Cultural heritage innovation, Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), Planning and development, Knowledge based planning, Institutional capacityAbstract
Contemporary planning is increasingly recognising that sustainable development is not limited to physical infrastructure and economic growth, but also has a cultural and knowledge dimension. Cultural heritage, when mobilised through innovation and digital transformation has the potential to become a strategic planning resource in line with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). However, its integration into planning frameworks is fragmented and under-theorised. This article discusses how the cultural heritage innovation can be aligned with the SDG agenda from a planning perspective, based on the qualitative case study of the INSPIRE Initiative at the Universiti Sultan Zainal Abidin. Using document analysis and theory-informed thematic analysis, SDG 4 (Quality Education), SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities), SDG 16 (Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions) and SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals) are the SDGs that will be focused on. The findings suggest that INSPIRE is a knowledge-based planning model mobilising heritage as a development capital through education, cultural sustainability, institutions and multi-stakeholder partnerships. The article is proposing the Cultural Heritage-SDG Planning Framework and providing policy-relevant insights for those planners aiming to incorporate the cultural knowledge systems into sustainable development strategies in Malaysia.
Downloads
References
Abdullah, A., & Hassan, A. S. (2019). Knowledge-based development and cultural sustainability: A framework for Malaysian cities. Planning Malaysia Journal, 17(4), 78–92.
Anuar, K., Mohamad, M. Z., & Mohd, K. S. (2023). Materials in traditional Malay medicine: A study of manuscript Mss 1653. International Journal of Chemical and Biochemical Sciences, 24(5), 255–261.
Ashworth, G. J., Graham, B., & Tunbridge, J. E. (2007). Pluralising pasts: Heritage, identity and place in multicultural societies. Pluto Press.
Bowen, G. A. (2009). Document analysis as a qualitative research method. Qualitative Research Journal, 9(2), 27–40. https://doi.org/10.3316/QRJ0902027
Creswell, J. W. (2014). Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches (4th ed.). Sage.
Flyvbjerg, B. (2006). Five misunderstandings about case-study research. Qualitative Inquiry, 12(2), 219–245. https://doi.org/10.1177/1077800405284363
Giaccardi, E. (2012). Heritage and social media: Understanding heritage in a participatory culture. Routledge.
Healey, P. (2010). Making better places: The planning project in the twenty-first century. Palgrave Macmillan.
Ismail, N. A., & Ahmad, A. R. (2021). Integrating cultural heritage into urban planning: The case of George Town, Penang. Planning Malaysia Journal, 19(3), 45–58.
Kementerian Pendidikan Malaysia. (2020). Pelan pembangunan pendidikan Malaysia (PPPM) 2020–2025 [Malaysia education blueprint]. Retrieved January 28, 2026, from https://www.moe.gov.my/en/dasarmenu/pelan-pembangunan-pendidikan-malaysia
Khairuldin, W. M. K. F. W., Anas, W. N. I. W. N., Embong, A. H., Hassan, S. A., Suhaimi, M. A., & Idham, M. A. (2024). Model holistik integriti akademik berteraskan Islam bagi institusi pengajian tinggi di Malaysia. Global Journal Al-Thaqafah, 193–207. https://doi.org/10.7187/GJATSI122024-13
Khairuldin, W. M. K. F. W., Anas, W. N. I. W. N., Mohamad, M. Z., Embong, A. H., & Mokhtar, W. K. A. W. (2021b). The role of Prophet Muhammad s.a.w. in educating children and its applications to prevent gadget addiction among children. International Journal of Early Childhood Special Education, 13(2), 718–722. https://doi.org/10.9756/INT-JECSE/V13I2.211112
Khairuldin, W. M. K. F., Anas, W. N. I. W. N., Suhaimi, M. A., Idham, M. A., Embong, A. H., & Hassan, S. A. (2024). Developing a holistic Islam-based academic integrity model for Malaysian higher education institutions. Pakistan Journal of Life and Social Sciences, 22(1), 677–686.
Mohamad, M. Z., Adam, F., Embong, R., Shafie, B., Salleh, M. A., & Ismail, D. (2016). Strategies for unifying humankind through the empowerment of civilizational dialogue according to Bediuzzaman Said Nursi. Social Sciences (Pakistan), 11(24), 5824–5829.
Mohamad, M. Z., Noh, N. C., Junid, H. M. L., Khairuldin, W. M. K. F. W., Yusof, S., Idris, M. F. H. M., Latif, F. A., & Anuar, A. (2024). The importance of Nursi’s thought in empowering Muslim identity. Pakistan Journal of Life and Social Sciences, 22(2), 518–524. https://doi.org/10.57239/PJLSS-2024-22.1.0037
Omar, D., & Mohd Noor, N. (2020). Community participation in heritage conservation: Lessons from Melaka. Planning Malaysia Journal, 18(2), 112–125.
Pendlebury, J. (2013). Conservation values, the authorised heritage discourse and the conservation–planning assemblage. International Journal of Heritage Studies, 19(7), 709–727. https://doi.org/10.1080/13527258.2012.700282
Research Institute of Islamic Product and Malay Civilization. (n.d.). Homepage. INSPiRE, Universiti Sultan Zainal Abidin. Retrieved January 28, 2026, from https://inspire.unisza.edu.my
Shuhari, M. H., Hamat, M. F., Basri, M. N. H., Khairuldin, W. M. K. F. W., Wahab, M. R., Mamat, A., & Alwi, E. A. Z. E. (2019). Concept of al-amanah (trustworthiness) and al-mas’uliyyah (responsibility) for human’s character from ethical Islamic perspective. Journal of Legal, Ethical and Regulatory Issues, 22(5), 1–6.
Smith, L. (2006). Uses of heritage. Routledge.
UNESCO. (2016). Culture: Urban future – Global report on culture for sustainable urban development. UNESCO.
United Nations. (2015). Transforming our world: The 2030 agenda for sustainable development. United Nations.
Wan Khairuldin, W. M. K. F., Nor Anas, W. N. I. W., & Embong, A. H. (2025). Constructing the Muslim scholar’s ethos: A framework of academic integrity based on the Islamic intellectual tradition. Al-Shajarah, 30(2), 477–504. https://doi.org/10.31436/SHAJARAH.V30I02.2235
Watson, V. (2014). African urban fantasies: Dreams or nightmares? Environment and Urbanization, 26(1), 215–231. https://doi.org/10.1177/0956247813513705
Yin, R. K. (2018). Case study research and applications: Design and methods (6th ed.). Sage.
Yusoff, M. A., & Ngah, I. (2019). Cultural sustainability and urban development in Malaysia. Planning Malaysia Journal, 17(2), 1–12.
Zainudin, S. A., Hassan, S. A., & Khairuldin, W. M. K. F. W. (2024). Systematic literature review of the research design based on fatwa methods. International Journal of Islamic Thought, 25, 136–151. https://doi.org/10.24035/ijit.25.2024.292
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 Unported License.
Copyright & Creative Commons Licence
eISSN: 0128-0945 © Year. The Authors. Published for Malaysian Institute of Planners. This is an open-access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license.
The authors hold the copyright without restrictions and also retain publishing rights without restrictions.
