Will high-rise ‘kampungs’ solve Jakarta’s waste woes?

A solution for Jakarta’s trash problems may not be on the ground— but up in the sky, according
to Dutch architects.

A group of Dutch architects proposed developing vertical kampungs as part of the Clean Jakarta project to solve Jakarta’s worsening waste problems.

Under the proposal, several city slums would be relocated to high-rise settlements that had a “kampung” atmosphere.

“The vertical kampungs will be self-sufficient communities that encapsulate traditional kampung dynamics in a high-rise solution,” architect Tanja van der Laan said, speaking for her colleagues at a recent architectural conference at the Erasmus Huis Dutch cultural center in South Jakarta.

She said that a vertical kampung would consist of ramps and elevated streets, as well as additional public squares, to provoke interaction and create lively public spaces that would mimic traditional kampungs.

The vertical kampungs would also be equipped with a robust community-based waste management system so the surrounding community could recycle, compost and reuse the capital city’s waste — and reap economic benefit from the activity.

The architects’ proposal cites an earlier report that said Jakarta produced 28,000 cubic meters of waste a day despite the lacks of an efficient sanitation system.

The city administration currently operates Jakarta’s lone garbage dump, Bantar Gebang, in Bekasi, whose capacity was soon expected to be buried by Jakarta’s daily trash.

Through the creation of vertical kampungs, Jakarta would solve its waste removal problem by requiring that refuse be recycled or re-used by informal workers who would live in the area.

Jakarta would also gain extra space that could be converted into green areas by relocating current slum areas and kampungs in one area.

About 9 percent of Jakarta is currently comprised of green space — far below the healthy level of 30 percent. The city must relocate 320,000 households to make up the deficit, Van der Laan said.

The Dutch proposal was named first winner in the 4th International Architecture Biennale Rotterdam in 2009.

The project was doubted or questioned by several local urban planners and architects.

Renowned architect Adi Purnomo doubted that the project could be implemented given the psychology of Indonesians, who were not used to living in high rises.

He also questioned the economic feasibility of the project, adding that constructing and maintaining 20-story kampungs would not be cheap.

Adi also doubted that a subsidy system would be enough to finance the project, adding that the failure of the government’s current housing subsidy scheme had failed.

“Most of buyers are rich people, leaving the poor still without homes,” Adi said.

Urban development expert Suryono Herlambang agreed, saying the project would be too costly for a city such Jakarta.

However, he lauded the idea as an initiative to materialize the cleaner Jakarta by establishing settlement spots that are sustainable for waste management.