The Shaping of Form and Structure in Informal Settlements: A Case Study of Order and Rules in Lebak Siliwangi, Bandung, Indonesia

This paper explores the relations between order and informality by focusing on the rules by which the physical form and structure evolve and is shaped in informal settlements. Central to improved planning and management of informal settlements and the city generally is a deeper understanding of what constitutes order and the underlying rules by which the physical ordering of densely populated informal settlements takes place. This is important as the existing spatial and related patterns in informal settlements are portrayed as chaotic, dysfunctional, and unplanned, with many residents seen as a source of social problems to be ‘fixed’ by physical solutions. Such negative stenotypes strongly influence the nature of ‘top-down’ policies underpinning upgrading programs. Using a case study of kampung Lebak Siliwangi in northern Bandung, Indonesia, this paper contextualizes notions of local and ‘bottom up’ order by identifying the rules by which the physical order and resulting spatial patterns unfold. The notion of order as seen in Lebak Siliwangi is locally self-made, not top-down, with the layout and arrangement of the complex urban fabric defined by clear patterns of sequencing and a systematic aggregation of adaptations. In this setting, the paper identifies the contextual rules, principles and activities that shape the form and structure of settlement in Lebak Siliwangi with a focus on settlement structure, public/private interface form types, and the nature of progressive change to housing.