Interrogating Sense of Place Through Tactical Urbanism of Women and Children in Kampung Kerapu, North Jakarta

Abstract

Sense of place is a concept within urban design. While sense of place is likely correlated with physical features of a city, previous studies have showed that sense of place is multidimensional, and involves factors, which are beyond mere physical attributes. Meanwhile, in the realm of formal urban planning, 'tactical urbanism' has emerged as a concept that is regarded as public's opportunistic response to their environment. As a bottom-up action, various aspects of interaction between public and features of a city is a mandatory issue in tactical urbanism. In this paper, we will explore the act of tactical urbanism within an urban neighborhood, Kampung Kerapu, North Jakarta, by particularly investigating the dwelling practice of women and children in their neighborhood. The streets of the kampung that lie between the river and the houses act as space that is used by the residents in their everyday spatial practices. We argue that this action defines another form of tactical urbanism as domestic spatial practice in an urban neighborhood. We will use emic approach to understand everyday domestic spatial practice of women and children in Kampung Kerapu. The analysis will show how certain adaptation of tactical urbanism is implemented. By examining everyday domestic spatial practice as tactical urbanism that creates different sense of place, this paper shows the role of women and children in the creation of sense of place through tactical urbanism in an urban neighborhood.