Placemaking dynamics of green space production in urban Kampung setting: a case study in Jakarta, Indonesia

Urban development in many Global South countries including across Asia has shown rapid growth. Rapid urban growth brings numerous consequences both to the urban fabric and to city dwellers, one of which is pressure on green and open space in the city caused by increasing demand for this space to be used for built up areas. This phenomenon can greatly affect community living in densely populated settlements where access to green and open space is very much limited. There has been growing awareness in some local communities living in urban kampung to preserve and protect green space in their neighbourhoods. Through these initiatives, they have succeeded in reclaiming, providing and managing greenery for their community that contributes to the quality of living in their neighbourhoods. <br><br>By using a case study of urban kampung in South Jakarta, Indonesia, this research investigates the provision and creation of green space by communities living in densely populated settlements in one of Asia’s megacities, with an objective to understand the placemaking process and the social elements supporting those processes. Qualitative methods are appropriate to understand these community engagement processes. The research design employs semi-structured interview and observation; and applies an analythical framework derived from a review and analysis of literatures. <br><br>Building on the existing understanding of open green space which is mostly derived from cases of cities in the developed nations, this research reveals that low income communities in the context of Global South have different perceptions in defining open green space that is essentially based on culture, customs, views, needs and constraints they face daily in their settlements. In further investigation of placemaking theory in the context of Global South, the thesis argues that the process of green placemaking in urban kampung is influenced by three significant social aspects, which consist of the community’s social structure, community’s embedded values, norms and principles and also the social interaction and networking between members of the community and supporting stakeholders. <br><br>In addition, this thesis contributes to the improvement of the current policy framework on the kampung improvement programme, which is heavily focused on physical and infrastructure improvement of urban kampung and often neglects the importance of social aspects in the community; which can be understood by revealing the social dynamics happening between members of the community during communal activity.