1 Rice Fields and the Traditional Settlements of Kerian: A Continuing Cultural Heritage Landscape Kamarul Bahrain Shuib 1 and Habsah Hashim 2 Faculty of Architecture, Planning and Surveying, Universiti Teknologi MARA Shah Alam, Selangor, Malaysia ___________________________________________________________________________ ABSTRACT: Malay cultural and heritage areas are landscapes that have Malay characteristics and are influenced by the Malay tradition and values for a long time. The countryside of the Malay heartland represents the transformation of the people, their culture and livelihood over time. The district of Kerian, a northern district in the state of Perak represents this unique Malay heritage. The cultural landscape here was originally shaped by the ethnic Banjarese community and their descendents and the landscape had evolved since 1906 with the opening of the Kerian Irrigation Scheme. This study provides an understanding of the landscape spatially as it has evolved over time through human interaction. The methodology employed is aimed at identifying the relationships between physical features and seeks to explain the relationship between people and the landscape. Various information regarding physical attribute, topography, culture, history, economy and social characteristics was collected. This paper will highlight the need to conserve these traditional Malay settlements as economic development and rapid urbanization in recent years would put tremendous pressure to transform many of these culturally significant heritage areas. Keywords: Malay heritage, cultural landscape, landscape conservation 1.0 INTRODUCTION Rapid development that had taken place in most places in Malaysia as a result of favorable economic growth and political stability following the country's independence had encroached into the countryside. The rural countryside environments such as stretches of paddy fields, rustic villages, pristine forest reserves and peaceful coastal areas are slowly being eroded in the name of progress and development. The process of land use change from agriculture to development (housing, commerce and industry) had often ignored the significance and unique character of a place. Pressures on land and eagerness for modern development had threatened these areas and could destroy the ‘sense of place’ that has evolved since its early history. The relationship between people and the landscape and the experiences in which they encounter with the landscape needs to be the primary focus in heritage management and not necessarily the specific physical features of the landscape (Stein, 1997). However, as Taylor (1989) argued, the traditional heritage practitioners and managers have focused solely on tangible physical properties and ignored the important social components that make up the cultural and social fabric of rural landscape. As such this paper is aimed at portraying significant cultural landscape characteristics of the district of Kerian in the northern state of Perak, Malaysia based on a comprehensive study of the landscape characters in the district. These landscapes, which are characterized by extensive stretches of rice fields and traditional settlements, were shaped by the Malay community, namely the Banjarese who had migrated to Malaya since the early part of the 20 th century. The study that had been done focuses on the existing landscape characters that have evolved from the various historical periods that shaped the community, settlements and livelihood of the people living in the district of Kerian. The 1 Kamarul Bahrain Shuib PhD, Associate Professor, Centre of Studies in Park and Amenity Management, Faculty of Architecture, Planning & Surveying, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Shah Alam, Malaysia. 2 Habsah Hashim PhD, Associate Professor, Centre of Studies in Town and Regional Planning, Faculty of Architecture, Planning & Surveying, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Shah Alam, Malaysia