Architecture for the poor and unprivileged of Jakarta

As the world becomes increasingly urbanised, cities are forced to manage significant population increases. Jakarta, in Indonesia, has a significant population that is visibly living below the poverty line which suggests the city was not fully prepared to accommodate the radical growth. With such a large number of people living in poverty, and there being a lack of affordable housing Jakarta faces an issue where a significant number of these people are forced to live in informal settlements, which are spread throughout the city. These informal settlements, known as Kampungs are typically made up of dense clusters of single or two story residential structures packed together in communal areas. The erection of these houses often results in unplanned but functional networks of footpaths. These urban arrangements normally have a lack of sanitary infrastructure. The government’s current plans to mitigate this issue are by forced evictions, and moving the informal settlement residents into subsidised social housing apartment buildings. Generally, people are against these forced evictions and in many cases they are forced to leave, or simply rebuild on top of the rubble of their old homes. How can architecture support the existing social connections within the community, while improving the living conditions of the residents in the informal settlements of Jakarta? This research proposes a community centre design which is able to provide necessary facilities to the informal settlements. Although the residents are not in need of a new housing design, this research focuses on providing facilities to improve the quality of life. The research takes into account extensive site, literature, and precedent analysis; to develop a design criteria which aims to produce positive neighbourhood development. Traditional Indonesian architecture has a heavy influence on the form and construction material, with the intention to give the opportunity for the community to get involved in the construction and maintenance of the building. The final design result is a community centre with a large auditorium space for community gatherings, and support spaces which include emergency accommodation, teaching facilities, exhibition space, workshop space, sanitary facilities, recycling management centre, and retail spaces. This architectural intervention provides a place for the community to come together and to have a better quality of life while still being able to live in their personally constructed and designed homes.