Better Understanding Self-Organizing Cities: A Typology of Order and Rules in Informal Settlements

Authors

  • Ninik Suhartini School of Architecture, Planning and Policy Development, Institut Teknologi Bandung
  • Paul Jones School of Architecture, Design and Planning, The University of Sydney

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5614/jpwk.2020.31.3.2

Keywords:

self-organization, order, rules, form, structure, informal settlements

Abstract

Notions of order and rules play a key role in organizing the arrangement of built and unbuilt spaces. Order is achieved at various scales, such as the global, the metropolitan, the district and the neighborhood scale, by using formal and informal rules, regulations, plans and policies. Rules are the conduit by which the spatial order of urban areas is implemented and achieved. Combined with order, they are key tenets of modern planning, influencing the layout, patterns, and processes that shape urban areas. Set within the context of a wider understanding of order, rules, adaptation and how the city self-organizes and transforms, this paper examines a typology of order and rules determining the spatial order in informal settlements. The paper views the city as a dynamic system of formal rules, regulations, plans, codes and emergent informal rules, protocols and conventions that modulate and facilitate adaptation, incrementalism and step-by-step housing change in informal settlements. Using a case study of kampung Lebak Sililwangi in Bandung, Indonesia, the research deconstructed the local spatial order that exists and identifies two main rule types, namely defined and understood rules. These rules represent a set of socially acceptable activities, tasks and principles that residents use, modify and adapt to produce and refresh existing built and unbuilt spaces to meet varying needs. Rules may change from understood to defined rules and vice versa, and in this setting, systems of self-organization and arrangement of order continue to evolve and adapt. The paper is aimed at providing a deeper understanding of the nature of order and types of rules, including their relationship to the public interest and the production of negative externalities.

Abstrak. Pengertian tatanan dan aturan memainkan peran kunci dalam mengatur penataan ruang terbangun dan tak terbangun. Tatanan dicapai di berbagai skala seperti global, metropolitan, distrik dan lingkungan dengan menggunakan aturan, regulasi, rencana dan kebijakan formal dan informal. Aturan adalah alat dan saluran untuk mencapai dan membangun suatu tatanan ruang wilayah perkotaan. Kombinasi antara tatanan dan aturan adalah prinsip utama dari perencanaan modern yang mempengaruhi tata letak, pola, dan proses yang membentuk daerah perkotaan. Dalam konteks pemahaman tatanan yang lebih luas terkait dengan aturan, adaptasi dan bagaimana kota mengatur dan mentransformasikan diri, makalah ini membahas tipologi tatanan dan aturan yang menentukan tatanan spasial di permukiman informal. Makalah ini memandang kota sebagai sistem dinamis dari aturan formal, regulasi, rencana, kode dan aturan informal yang muncul, protokol dan konvensi yang memodulasi dan memfasilitasi adaptasi, inkrementalisme dan perubahan perumahan bertahap di permukiman informal. Dengan menggunakan studi kasus kampung Lebak Sililwangi di Bandung, Indonesia, penelitian ini mendekonstruksi tatanan ruang lokal yang ada dan mengidentifikasi dua jenis aturan utama, yaitu aturan yang didefinisikan dan dipahami. Aturan-aturan ini mewakili serangkaian aktivitas, tugas, dan prinsip yang dapat diterima secara sosial yang digunakan, dimodifikasi, dan diadaptasi oleh penghuni untuk menghasilkan dan menghidupkan ruang yang sudah dibangun dan yang belum dibangun untuk memenuhi berbagai kebutuhan. Aturan dapat berubah dari aturan yang dipahami menjadi aturan yang didefinisikan dan sebaliknya. Dalam konteks ini, sistem pengaturan mandiri dan pengaturan tatanan terus berkembang dan beradaptasi. Makalah ini bertujuan untuk memberikan pemahaman yang lebih dalam tentang sifat tatanan dan jenis aturan termasuk hubungannya dengan kepentingan publik dan produksi eksternalitas negatif.

Kata kunci. pengaturan mandiri, tatanan, aturan, bentuk, struktur, permukiman informal.

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Published

2020-12-05

How to Cite

Suhartini, N., & Jones, P. (2020). Better Understanding Self-Organizing Cities: A Typology of Order and Rules in Informal Settlements. Journal of Regional and City Planning, 31(3), 237-263. https://doi.org/10.5614/jpwk.2020.31.3.2

Issue

Section

Special Issue: Rapid Urbanization