Value of the street: An inquiry of children placemaking in Warakas, North Jakarta

Abstract

People are occupying the street. That's the everyday practice in Warakas, a neighborhood in North Jakarta, Indonesia. It is not only as a path to connect each part of the neighborhood but also as a place for the people to socialize to interact with each other, including space for children to play. Children see the street as their playground, an accessible space in front of their houses for them to play with their friends. There's shifting in the way they see that particular space into the place they called playground, and that shifting involves a process called placemaking, a changing the space into the place they value, the place for them. Creating attachment to the particular space, that gives a sense of belonging of the place. This paper will try to observe and interrogate the process of children placemaking in the street of Warakas. We will conduct this research, by doing in site observation to begin the research, and participant observation with children. Mapping, taking visual notes, and pictures of the neighborhood and children activities on the street to understand the way children occupy and add value to the street, the place for them to play.