As noted in the previous chapter, Penang's rapid and intensive urban transition has put considerable pressure on the natural environment, including its forested hills. It is largely this development pressure which has caused many Penangites to become increasingly alarmed by the loss of these valuable heritage assets, creating the impetus to push for enhanced protection of Penang's hills and associated flora and fauna (Dermawan, 2016, 2017b; Looi, 2017). This chapter builds on these concerns to demonstrate how the heritage values associated with Penang's hills have shaped broader resistances to development on the island over the past three decades. It also illustrates how invocations of Penang's rich natural heritage are often framed alongside urban and cultural heritage in local resistance to ongoing development projects on the island. This speaks to the importance of community-led heritage movements, in which locals take seriously the value of their city's existing natural resources and heritage.

In particular, the chapter focuses on Penang Hill, which is the most well known of Penang's hills, and is a symbol of the island's history, heritage and identity. In some narratives, it is clear that the colonial history and heritage of Penang Hill has shaped ideas about how the hill should be used today, in contradistinction to contemporary ideologies related to urban development. In analysing the case of Penang Hill, the chapter argues that it is only by looking at both the natural and cultural components of the island that we begin to develop a holistic picture of the specific heritage landscape. The chapter thus seeks to highlight the potential of urban heritage research in contributing to sustainable development initiatives through the integration and conservation of cultural and natural components of heritage landscapes. It also seeks to highlight the integration of cultural and natural forms of heritage and landscape as an important focus for UPE scholarship, which was identified in Chapter 2.

One of the questions that is frequently asked in Penang is how many changes the city's cultural and natural landscapes can bear if they are still to be considered as heritage.