Sustainable Urban Development and the Role of Digital Conservation in Preserving Cultural Heritage in Malacca

ABSTRACT Malacca, a UNESCO World Heritage city in Malaysia, is characterized by its rich cultural landscape, diverse land uses spanning urban, agricultural, and manufacturing zones, and a steadily growing population, all of which intensify pressure on its historical assets. As a result, the city's urban heritage is increasingly threatened by land degradation, environmental deterioration, and the intensifying impacts of climate change. Preserving cultural assets while promoting sustainable urban development requires a strategic, data‐driven approach that integrates ecological, social, and technological priorities. This study develops a hybrid multi‐criteria decision‐making framework combining Fuzzy Decision Making Trial and Evaluation Laboratory (DEMATEL) and Simple Additive Weighting (SAW) to identify key sustainability drivers and prioritize strategic interventions for Malacca. A total of eighteen criteria were analyzed. Fuzzy DEMATEL was used to examine causal relationships among criteria, revealing that green infrastructure, climate resilience measures, early warning systems, and digital monitoring tools act as critical drivers within the urban sustainability system. Subsequently, seven strategic alternatives were evaluated using the SAW method, with digital twin for heritage and environmental monitoring (Vi = 3.779), smart heritage tourism management systems (Vi = 3.768), and integrated green urban planning (Vi = 3.619) ranking as the top‐priority strategies. These findings provide valuable guidance for policymakers and planners in integrating cultural conservation, environmental planning, and smart technologies to strengthen sustainability in climate‐vulnerable heritage cities.