Events

CHAIRPERSON

Prof Mike Douglass, Asia Research Institute and Department of Sociology, National University of Singapore.

ABSTRACT

Can the words ‘vertical’ and ‘kampung’ combine to make a sensible term? Like many other cities in Indonesia and to a certain extent in other countries in the region, Jakarta’s urban fabric is composed of planned and unplanned areas. Many of these unplanned parts of Jakarta are urban villages, which are relatively dense residential areas that organically grew along with the economic growth of the capital city. Scholars have attributed the growth of these areas as a sign of Jakarta’s incapability of providing planned housing for its residents and the city’s weak law enforcement on land ownership. From the residents’ perspective, the urban villages (kampung kota) are often their homes for decades and are as meaningful as the city is to them. Access to infrastructure and to services from these kampungs may be limited depending on various factors including the status of land, location, and political access. However, the image of kampungs as run-down, their association with unplanned condition, disorder and environmental hazard often becomes the reason for their removal, resettlement, and upgrading programs. In the past several months, the capital city government has increasingly adopted the term ‘kampung’ for its affordable housing and resettlement programs. With land scarcity as a premise, policy makers deemed vertical living unavoidable for the sake of environmental goals and affordable housing for the poor. Most recently, the term ‘vertical kampung’ has been coined to represent resettlement and improvement programs through architectural designs that aim to provide innovative solutions beyond social housing. This presentation revisits the idea of the kampung in the context of the idea of the city to understand how verticality and kampung living fits together, or not. In doing so, this presentation reflects on the roles of planners, architects, and residents in planning the city and in conceptualising the city. Through years of observations, interviews and interactions, this exploration highlights the importance of human flourishing as a visionary concept to underline urban development and planning. More specifically, the focus on people as agents of change is crucial to understand the (im-)possibilities to weave together the notion of vertical living and the ‘kampung spirit’.

ABOUT THE SPEAKER

Rita Padawangi is a Senior Research Fellow in the Asian Urbanisms Cluster, Asia Research Institute, National University Singapore. She received her Ph.D. in Sociology from Loyola University Chicago where she was also a Fulbright Scholar for her M.A. studies. She holds a Bachelor of Architecture degree from the Parahyangan Catholic University and was a practicing architect in Bandung, Indonesia. With research interests spanning over the sociology of architecture and participatory urban development, Dr. Padawangi has conducted various research projects in particularly Southeast Asian cities. At the Asian Urbanisms Cluster, she leads the Vernacular City sub-theme, while also actively involved in Disaster Governance and Spaces of Hope.

REGISTRATION

Admission is free. We would greatly appreciate if you RSVP Mr Jonathan Lee via email: jonathan.lee@nus.edu.sg