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What If Lab: Public space made possible at Kampung Susun Kunir
An urban exhibition showcases the perseverance of Kampung Kunir residents in defending their neighborhood. Turning the demolition of their homes into a low-cost apartment complex.
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Historic record: Visitors read the reports on Kampung Kunir from panels during an exhibition at the Erasmus Huis in Jakarta on Feb. 16, 2024. The exhibition runs until April 30. (JP/Sylviana Hamdani)
O
ver the years, Jakarta has morphed from a humble port town on the estuary of the Ciliwung River into a vibrant megalopolis with glitzy skyscrapers, multi-tiered roads and high-speed trains.
But despite this evolution, the city's 10 million inhabitants often find themselves yearning for decent public spaces. While the affluent can easily gravitate toward the city’s art galleries, sports clubs and air-conditioned shopping malls, the less fortunate often lack places to unwind and savor their leisure time.
While Law No. 26/2007 stipulates that cities should allocate a minimum of 30 percent of their total land area to green open spaces, Jakarta still only allocates approximately 5 percent of its vast expanse to this use.
Addressing this stark disparity, a thought-provoking exhibition, titled “What If Lab: Sustainable Public Spaces”, is currently underway at Erasmus Huis Jakarta.
“This growth of Jakarta has been part of the global trend of an increasingly urbanized world by expanding cities, as we also experienced in Europe and the Netherlands,” Nicolaas de Regt, director of Erasmus Huis Jakarta, said in his opening remarks on Feb. 16.
“[But] does this kind of urban development pay sufficient attention to the surrounding natural environment and public spaces of kampung communities?”
Collaborating with the Dutch Design Foundation and the Indonesian creative studio Playo, Erasmus Huis Jakarta selected three Indonesian and two Dutch architects and designers, Anastasia Dinda, Gosha Muhamad, Iqra Firdausy, Pim van Baarsen and Isabel Driessen, to design a public space at Kampung Susun Kunir in Pinangsia, West Jakarta.
