FOUA00018-00025 Augustinus Adib Abadi
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The 5th International Conference of the International Forum on Urbanism (IFoU) 2011 National University of Singapore, Department of Architecture Global Visions: Risks and Opportunities for the Urban Planet URB A N H O USIN G SUSTA IN A BI L I T Y: B E T W E E N ID E A A ND R E A L I T Y Agustinus Adib Abadi* *Department of Architecture, School of Architecture Planning and Policy Development, Institute Technology Bandung, Jln. Ganesha 10, Bandung, Indonesia, Email:[email protected] and [email protected] A BST R A C T: One of several urban sustainability dimensions relates to urban housing quality. Conceptually, sustainable urban housing conditions could be realized through the provision of decent housing for all, which involves the role of government and policy-making. In dealing with urban housing insufficiency, the Government of Indonesia has introduced a housing ownership program for low to middle income people. However, housing ownership does not automatically present its incentives as the implementation of a sustainability idea requires the consideration of local context. This paper exposes the condition of low to middle income housing policy implementation in relation to urban housing sustainability. The fact that about 40.2% of low to middle income houses within the municipality of Bekasi, in West Java, Indonesia, are categorised as abandoned ones indicate the importance of local context consideration in dealing with sustainable urban housing objectives. K E Y W O RDS: housing sustainability, low to middle income, local context, Bekasi Indonesia 1 IN T R O DU C T I O N Cities in developing countries are facing problem of massive of urban population growth that influences urban transformation and conditions. The functional integration of Jakarta with smaller surrounding cities known as Jabodetabek region for instance has created a new mega city. In responding the trend the President of Indonesia issued Decree No 13 / 1976 with regard to area development on Jakarta, Bogor, Depok, Tangerang and Bekasi, and established the municipality of Bekasi as buffer of Jakarta where function of Bekasi has been set up as area for settlement, trade, and business. By this function, the city becomes strategic urban area destination because of its close by the capital of the state. BPS Regional Economic Survey West Java 2005 also noted that among those small neighbouring cities, Bekasi municipality is the most populated one and has relatively high level of population growth in the last decade. Besides of its positive influences that fast population growth indeed will discourage poorer cities in increasing infrastructure per head and in providing an adequate number of homes. The latter in fact has been put as social indicator of urban sustainability in such cities as Hong Kong, Iskandar, Barcelona, and Pune (Shen, Ochoa, Shah and Zhang (2009). It becomes very critical for urban sustainability because those are needed by urban poor to raise endowment for survival and much more than that for a decent standard life in urban environment (Hall and Pfeiffer, 2000). Therefore it is important to control urban growth and otherwise unmanaged one most likely will threat urban sustainability. The fact that housing covers more than 2/3 of urban area (Devas and Rakodi, 1993) indicates the strategic role of housing on urban sustainability. This sight was supported by Hall and Pfeiffer (2000) that put shelter as one of urban sustainable dimensions because housing conditions is not only concerning physical aspect but also social, economic and cultural dimensions. A house is also basic need that is not only protection from inconvenience natural condition but also a place for socio cultural value development as well as economic generator. Thus decent affordable housing for all becomes such an essential issue to enhance urban sustainability. However, in developing countries such as Indonesia, where the most difficult problems are come together, the basic questions is how to produce enormous amount of houses for urban poor, with at least minimal services in term of public health, but affordable by those on minimum income. Considering the role of housing on urban sustainability many developing countries try to implement deliberately home ownership program. In developed country such as United Stated this scheme is believed to offer positive influences on enhancing urban sustainability. With such decent housing supply the program has indicated some improvement not only on productivity of families but also on environment quality and social integration (Van Zandt, 2006). It is very reasonable if then the government of Indonesia copied the US experiences by establishing the comparable program especially for low middle income group. The government of Indonesia through its various housing policies and institutions has strongly driven the production of low middle income housing. Thousands very simple (RSS) and simple houses (RS) have been developed by both public and private developers not only at urban peripheral area but also at sub urban one. In the Bekasi municipality housing demand has arrived at about 100.000 units in 2010. This figure seems gain contribution from very high rate of housing demand of Jakarta which reached to 2.565 units per year in average. Due to limited land in Jakarta, it is almost unavoidable for some people look for it in the nearby city of Bekasi. In dealing with high housing demand, from 1996 to 2004 the municipality of Bekasi issued 58 housing developments planning encompass 38,315 housing unit and spread out in many locations. Some 60% of that amount is small type (less than 45 m2 of size) and is purposed for low-middle income people. In fact, there are so many of them have been left in empty by the owners. Field observation in 2005 found that relatively high level (more than 7%) housing vacancy were at about 8 housing estates and included some 1,498 unit (40.2%) of total 3,726 houses (Abadi, 2009). This condition is clearly in contrary to the idea of home ownership program which is promoted to enhance urban housing sustainability. By carefully understanding the idea of sustainable development which stress on meeting future needs. 2 M E T H O DO L O G Y This paper draws on statistical and other documentary evidence such as Bekasi in Figure, background of the municipality of Bekasi development, list of housing development permit issued by Bekasi Municipality from 1995-2004, as well as government housing policy documents. Theoretical framework is developed from the growing housing research literature on low middle income housing policy, housing ownership and urban sustainability. The paper also draws on a case study of vacancy housing in Bekasi Municipality, using empirical field-based research including key informant interviews with municipal officials, chief of district society, and a 350 questioner survey for the housing owners conducted in April 2006 to March 2007 in eight estates sample in the Bekasi Municipality. The survey utilized a purposive sampling method to select respondent that represented the opinion of low-middle housing owners in the city toward the condition of their housings. Survey questions were based on the advice of key informants, and insights from the literature, and targeted issues and interrelationships among issues of housing and urban sustainability. Bekasi municipality (kota Bekasi) is part of Wet Java Province, a medium sized city situated in the near by of the capital of Jakarta. It is a satellite of Jakarta as they have evolved in along with the dynamic of the capital city. Today it is a fragmented city of suburbs and townships (formal and informal), struggling with this diverse of social, economic and environmental conditions and strongly marked with enduring social and environmental, infrastructure and service inequalities. 3 T H E O R E T I C A L F RA M E W O R K The idea of sustainable urban housing is developed from well known basic concept of sustainable development. The most familiar quotation is humanity has the ability to make development sustainable ± to ensure that it meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generation to meet their own needs (World Commission on Environmental and Development, 1987). This is very abstract thought indeed and therefore need to be down to the more realistic development circumstance that is urban area. To simplify such very complicated urban condition, Hall and Pfeiffer (2000) suggest several essential elements that play influential role on urban sustainability in which housing is one of those besides of economy, society, environment, access, life and democracy. In deeply insight of sustainable concept that has great concerns to future life is also indicated two FULWLFDO SRLQWV SURFHVV DQG KXPDQ QHHGV (DVWDZD\ DQG 6WǛD PHQWLRQWKDWKRXVLQJ DQG XUEDQ sustainability have to be understood as a process rather than a product so that the concept has a temporal dimension. This concept looks compatible to the condition of urban poorer that has limited budget to buy their houses and used to meet their housing needs gradually. In association to urban housing development the process can be seen in the stage of planning, design, development or construction, utility or occupation and regeneration. In addition the notion of process is thus inherently multi dimensional as it is in parallel to housing characteristics. Basically government has such an essential role in both formulating and implementing housing policy. The policy instrument may include land use, building regulation, basic infrastructure provision, subsidy and special programme. Hall and Pfeiffer (2000) mention that low middle housing policy will not be enough only by financial assistance but it has to focus more on enabling strategy. By this strategy housing supply does not only provide shelter but more than that it has to offer environment that can function as a place for process of meeting the entire housing needs.