Housing Resilience and the Informal City

Abstract. Central to managing urban growth in the new millennium is understanding the role and nature of the resilience shown by residents and communities in growing towns and cities, and especially in what can be termed the informal city. Urban resilience is defined as the ability of cities to manage and adapt to change, and includes robustness, mitigation and adjustment at all levels. On the other hand, the informal city is about spaces, places and communities where residents adapt to the circumstances at hand using locally based rules, processes and governance. These actions are generally ‘outside’ the structures and processes that guide order and control in the formally planned city. Using the kampung locality of Tamansari in Bandung, Indonesia, as a case study, an analysis of housing resilience and understanding of the local dynamics of housing adaptation in Tamansari was undertaken by assessing four elements, namely, the collective resilience at the Tamansari level, vertical and horizontal housing adaptations, and changes to functionality and space in alleyways and public areas. Five key findings are identified: (i) there is commonality in what residents are seeking, namely, additional living space, modified access ways, privacy, and access to light and air circulation, (ii) a variety of construction methods and materials are utilized, (iii) the process of transformation is ‘step by step’ and incremental, (iii) notions of physical private/public boundaries are fluid, reflecting their flexibility and ability to be locally negotiated and contested, and (v) housing and wider circulation and activity spaces are defined by their multi-functionality. In this setting, legitimization of the informal city by the State is critical as informal settlements play an important role for residents to express and develop their skills of resiliency which may not be acceptable and or tolerated in other parts of the city.