Barriers of Jakarta

In North Jakarta, stilt houses built by Kampung residents are seen as informal settlements, along with their clam shell embankments and pathways deemed non-compliant. People have forgotten how their ancestors once fished from stilts by the shore, living in harmony with the tides, unafraid of floods. Now, replaced by brick and concrete, the land sinks, and floods rise. More flood barriers are built, but these barriers often isolate not just water but also impoverished Kampung communities. This temporary cultural center has a different 'wall'—one that allows everything to pass through, retelling ancestral stories and redefining barriers to protect the land.

Barrier Between Humans and Nature: Infrastructure acts as a defense system against flooding and ground subsidence, creating a barrier between humans and water. However, these impermeable structures exacerbate flooding issues.

Barrier Between People： Protection also brings isolation. Flood barriers act as defense systems against flooding and ground subsidence but sometimes serve as separators, similar to colonial-era walls.

Kampung Informal Adaptations： The shell paving in the kampung is considered a "non-compliant" element by the government, even though these shells under the stilt houses prevent flooding and aid drainage.

Bottom-Up Governance Framework: To address the real survival challenges faced by kampung residents, a spontaneously developed spatial governance framework led by the residents themselves is gradually being refined.

Wall Connecting Humans and Nature: The "non-compliant bamboo floodwall" permits the passage of natural elements, symbolizing ancestral wisdom of harmonious living with nature.