Evicted residents of Kampung Akuarium, North Jakarta, proposed to the city administration a neighborhood made of shipping containers.

The plan, however, would require changing the city’s 2010-2030 Detailed Spatial Plan (RDTR) in a 2014 city bylaw stipulating that the Kampung Akuarium area be allocated for green open space.

The bylaw was used by former governor Basuki “BTP” Tjahaja Purnama, also known as Ahok, as legal grounds to evict in 2016 over 200 families who resided in Kampung Akuarium.

Dharma Diani, 42, a local leader in Kampung Akuarium, said she had conveyed a design proposal for 250 houses in the kampung to Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan on Monday.

“They will look amazingly unique because our kampung sits side-by-side with the port. We normally use bricks and mortar to build homes, but containers are also sturdy,” Diani told The Jakarta Post on Wednesday.

Diani added that the residents had been working with an architect for the last five months on the future design of their kampung, and Anies seemed interested because reusing shipping containers could be an eco-friendly option.

If it is realized, it would be a one-of-a-kind kampung in Indonesia.

In countries such as Australia and the United Kingdom, shipping containers have been used as houses. In Indonesia however, some businesses have used containers for cafes or shops.

“There is no container housing in Jakarta. Our kampung could be a great tourist attraction. We could sell souvenirs and become tour guides,” Diani said, adding that they were inspired by the lines of colorful shipping containers in Sunda Kelapa Port that had become a tourist attraction.

Al Farid, the Kampung Akuarium architect, said the vertical housing complex would use a “bioclimatic” design to reduce energy waste.

The houses will measure 36 square meters with two bedrooms, a toilet, a kitchen, a living room and a small terrace.

“We will develop special insulators that will cut costs and will be effective at preventing excessive heat and cold temperatures in the houses,” Farid said, adding that the material used for the insulator was a “secret”.

Anies confirmed on Wednesday that he had seen the design.

“The design is great since it’s not only artistic but also opens economic opportunity for its residents. We will discuss it in our RDTR [revision] so we can decide how to realize it,” Anies said.

Besides the RDTR revision, Anies also plans to disburse development funds, under the Community Action Plan, directly to people living in at least 21 kampungs to whom Anies has pledged political contracts. The plan, however, raises questions about the accountability of the fund.

Urbanist from Trisakti University Nirwono Joga said that despite the new design, Kampung Akuarium was still a green zone, and the Jakarta administration should not allow any development in the area.

“Whatever the form, it is illegal to build container houses or anything else in the [green] area. The administration must uphold the regulation and not support illegal development,” Nirwono said.

Similarly, city councilor Pantas Nainggolan questioned the administration’s inconsistency with the spatial planning.

Anies, he said, should adhere to the spatial planning for development in the capital rather than accommodate his political interests. “Anies can’t arbitrarily propose a revision for existing regulations,” he said.

Wicaksono Sarosa of the Partnership of Sustainable Urban Development (Kemitraan-Habitat), however, said an issue more crucial than spatial planning was the budget, because container housing would require special material to cope with heat inside the houses.

“This is possible, theoretically, but we have to see how to deal with the heat because it is impossible to give them air conditioners. It can be solved but what is the material and how much will it cost?” Wicaksono said. (ggq)

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