'Lanting' as a way of life: A legacy of riverine culture and architecture in the present urban life of Sintang City, West Kalimantan

Abstract

The vast island of Borneo, in the heart of Southeast Asia, is an island famous for its large and powerful rivers. Along with their tributaries and numerous smaller rivers, they represent a key factor in communication and transportation. Sintang is one of the riverfront cities located in the middle stream of Kapuas river in West Kalimantan. In the midst of a rapid urbanization process,'lanting'or floating houses, the legacy of culture and architecture of past Sintang, are still present and needed by the community. This paper discussed the way of life of lanting community in the midst of vast urbanization of the city. Through the grounded-Theory method, this study found that lanting has a significant role as a linkage between the rural and urban community. We elaborated the concept of linkage and depicted the transition process of rural-urban society and the role of river community in the urbanization process of Sintang city.