REGENERATION

OF DECAYING
URBAN PLACE
THROUGH
ADAPTIVE
DESIGN INFILL
Case Study:
Kampung Kriya, Cultural
Tourism and Creative
Sectors Infill at Jalan
Jenderal Sudirman
Bandung, Indonesia by Hafiz Amirrol 
BACKGROUND
 The thesis is concerned with the process of
urban transformations that are happening in
Bandung today.

These transformations have been contributing to

the state of conditions of what the city is now –
physically and non-physically.

This thesis is interested on the issues of inner

city urban decay that is a by-product of these
transformations.
 phenomena

urban transformations  
context

Jl. Jenderal
object of study
Sudirman
physically 
Bandung 
problems

urban decay 
 The case study is along the active and vibrant
stretch of Jalan Jenderal Sudirman, in which
rows of old buildings and interesting activities
exist both along the street and behind it.

However, these interesting urban artefacts suffer

from serious urban decay, which is the result of
many unresolved and unattended issues.
These issues include planning policies, sterile
and non flexible zoning regulations,
underutilization of functions and use,
disproportionate allocation of services and
financial resources, lack of awareness in
conserving urban heritage, poor facility
programming and so on.  
THESIS STATEMENT
 The primary objective in conducting this
research is to understand the physical and social
repertoire of the city and its urban and
architectural design components.

From these understandings, the thesis will look

at potential intervention approaches that will
regenerate the place in improving its quality and
values.
WHY REGENERATE?
The state of urban and architectural decay of the
site has always been a classic case in most urban
centers of Asian cities.

Many urban places in Bandung have

experienced unprecedented development, urban
growth and radical changes in recent years.

In the process, much of the traditional urban

areas have been either damaged, destroyed or
badly mutilated.
 Used to be one of the most important district in
Bandung, with its potential and rich urban
tissue, Jl. Jenderal Sudirman and its surrounding
areas are being left to suffer decay and lack of
attention.

The place, strong in its character and historical

background offer great opportunities if being
regenerated into becoming a more livable place
to live, work and play.
 WHAT URBAN
REGENERATION
CAN OFFER?
 The main purpose of urban regeneration is to
eliminate blighted areas – turning them into
areas that have better built environment quality
and values.

A more pleasurable living environment is the

objective of urban regeneration, responding to a
more holistic criteria of what pleasurable living
should be.
It will also offer improvement to these aspects:

1. Flexible and adaptive plans for the place

2. Land and building values
3. Update and improve infrastructure
4. Provide incentives for future development
5. Focus and encourage public resources to
stimulate and leverage larger private
investments to the area
 EXAMPLES OF
SUCCESSFUL URBAN
REGENERATION
INITIATIVES
SLATER STREET, LIVERPOOL 
DISTRICT SIX, CAPETOWN 
DISTRICT SIX, CAPETOWN 
ASIAN HERITAGE ROW, KL 
ASIAN HERITAGE ROW, KL 
CHEONGGYECHEON, SEOUL 
CHEONGGYECHEON, SEOUL 
CHEONGGYECHEON, SEOUL 
CHEONGGYECHEON, SEOUL 
LEARNING FROM
THOSE, WHAT ARE
THE RESPONDS
FOR THE SITE?
 The research will start by identifying the
relationship between physical and social
structures in selected clusters of the site.

The selected clusters are those that are

experiencing urban transformation that leads to
decay, and are constantly acting and reacting to
its surrounding conditions, be it social,
economic or culturally at the architectural, urban
or direct scales.
 The selected clusters must also show evidence
of some degree of blight, demonstrated by
conditions such as poorly constructed buildings,
faulty planning, lack of open spaces,
deteriorated properties, an incompatible mix of
uses and improper utilization of land.
 Responding to the current condition of the site,
the thesis utilizes the site’s strong characteristics
in creating operational definition for specific
interventions.
 Five design issues will be discussed to help
generate possible design infill proposals that are
adaptive and inventive:

1. Streets, Public Spaces and Buildings

2. Heritage and Urban Conservation
3. Spatial Characteristics and Qualities
4. Design Intervention Approaches
5. Programming and Adaptive Design Infill
GOALS AND
OBJECTIVES
1. Streets, Public Spaces and Buildings
Goal
To improve existing streets and construct missing street links to improve
connectivity, improve and enhance public open spaces as an integral part of
the area and ensure buildings are of good qualities to enhance livability.

Objectives
1.  Enhance streetscapes by installing street lighting, street furniture, planters
and other amenities, and control building designs to support the effort.
2.  Reconstruct existing roadways and sidewalks where needed and in a
manner meeting the objectives of this thesis.
3.  Construct new streets, nodes and buildings (where needed) to provide
connectivity and encourage private investment.
4.  Address and improve pedestrian safety in the renewal area.
5.  Create pedestrian spaces that are attractive areas for residents and
employees that will stimulate economic activity, and enhance livability.
2. Heritage and Urban Conservation
Goal
To upgrade the stock of existing structures in the renewal area which
contribute to its area character, but are run down or do not meet current code
requirements.

Objectives
1.  Improve the appearance of existing buildings in order to enhance the
overall aesthetics of the renewal area.
2.  Help in improving the safety of older buildings in regard to seismic
stability, fire safety, building code compliance and accessibility to
persons with disabilities.
3.  Redevelop buildings and areas that are inconsistent with the goals and
objectives of this thesis in manners that benefit the entire economic
development effort and property owners.
3. Spatial Characteristics and Qualities
Goal
Create strong and unique spatial characteristics through provisions and
improvements of physical structures, programming, facilities and functions of
the renewal area.

Objectives
1.  Regenerate site’s character by injecting new programs that will contribute
to the site’s spatial character building.
2.  Help create economic vitality by creating activities and encouraging uses
that bring a significant number of potential shoppers and investors.
3.  Provide wide range of business and cultural tourism opportunities by
infilling the site with potential programs, coupled with quality designs
and planning.
4.  Create appropriate branding for the area.
4. Design Intervention Approaches
Goal
Formulate appropriate and sustainable design intervention approaches that
will offer adaptive and reflexive design schemes for the renewal area, as well
as to promote private development, redevelopment, and rehabilitation within
the urban renewal area to help create jobs, tax revenues, and self sustaining,
vital, and vibrant commercial districts.

Objectives
1.  Enhance the environment for development and investment through
improvements to streets, streetscapes, and public buildings and spaces.
2.  Maintain the collective memory of the site and its users by sensitively
respond to any interventions with only site specific approaches.
3.  Consolidating the segregated urban fabric and its surrounding
infrastructures and amenities.
4.  Provide designs to its most detail to ensure workability and functions.
5. Programming and Adaptive Design Infill
Goal
Formulate and propose suitable facility programming and adaptive design
infill in ways that will help increase employment, incomes, and the economic
vitality of the renewal area.

Objectives
1.  Help improve the condition and appearance of buildings in the renewal
area, and encouraging infill and reuse in the area for efficiency in
development cost.
2.  Create new planning and designs that have the ability to adapt and
change according to users’ needs and demands.
3.  Assist in creation and retention of businesses with special emphasis on
tourism, recreation, home-industry, arts and culture and housing.
4.  Help create economic vitality through design by creating activities and
encouraging uses that bring a significant number of potential shoppers
and investors to the area.
SUPPORTING
GOALS AND
OBJECTIVES
6. Housing
Goal
Provide new and improved housing units in livable mixed-income
neighborhoods. Support housing development that is geared to support the
area’s employment generation goals.

Objectives
1.  Provide a wide range of housing opportunities to accommodate
households at all income levels, including low income, moderate-income,
and market-rate rental and owner-occupied housing, which support
prospective residential markets in, adjacent to, and near the renewal area.

2.  Provide design options and schemes to help maintain, and assist in the
rehabilitation of the stock of existing housing in the renewal area.

3.  Assist in the development of quality housing for the neighborhood.

7. Parking
Goal
Provide sufficient, convenient and attractive parking facilities close to
shopping, entertainment, housing and business destinations.

Objectives
1.  Construct centralized and controlled parking facilities to support all
activities in and around the renewal area.

8. Utility Improvements
Goal
Improve and repair utilities to allow efficient development of the area.

Objectives
1.  Construct/ reconstruct utilities as necessary to encourage and permit
public and private development initiatives.
9. Encourage Private Developments
Goal
Encourage private development, redevelopment, and rehabilitation within the
urban renewal area to help create jobs, tax revenues, and self-sustaining, vital,
and vibrant commercial districts.

Objectives
1.  Help create economic vitality through design by creating activities and
encouraging uses that bring a significant number of potential shoppers
and investors to the area.
2.  Enhance the environment for development and investment through
improvements to streets, streetscapes, parks, and public buildings and
spaces.
3.  Encourage property owners in rehabilitating buildings to allow more
intensive and dynamic commercial activities to be accommodated.
 THEORIES AND
PREVIOUS
RESEARCHES
TO SUPPORT
THE ARGUMENTS
SIREGAR, S. (1990) Bandung – The Architecture of a City
in Development: Urban Analysis of a Regional Capital as a
Contribution to the Present Debate on Indonesian
Urbanity and Architectural Identity, PhD Dissertation,
Leuven: Katholieke Universiteit Leuven.

1.  Underlying basis on Bandung, its city architecture,

urban morphology and planning guidelines.
2.  Diachronic and synchronic reading – leading to a
total understanding of urban problems, issues,
history, concepts and development guidelines of
Bandung.
 MIRZA, S. (2010) Strategic Urban Planning and Design
Tools for Inner City Regeneration: Towards a Strategic
Approach of Sustainable Urban Form Future – the Case of
Bandung City, Netherlands: International Society of City
and Regional Planners (ISOCARP).

1.  Adaptation of successful urban regeneration process

of European cities into the context of Bandung.
2.  Urban regeneration concepts, strategies and steps to
achieve development vision.
ROSSI, A. (1984) The Architecture of the City, Cambridge:
MIT Press.

1.  Problems of description relating to classification

and typology, structure of the city, individuality of
urban artefacts and the locus, urban dynamics and
the problem of politics of choice.
2.  Understanding on cities’ history, collective
memories and locus – elements that are important to
establish conditions and qualities of spaces.
KOOLHAAS, R. (1978) Delirious New York – A Retroactive
Manifesto for Manhattan, London: Thames and Hudson.

1.  Understanding of similar characteristics concerning

urban economics, development controls and
regulations, as well as its hope to reinventing the
city life into a new dimension of experience.
2.  Provide framework for an inductive mode research,
involving the extraction of general principles
(theories) from observation of specific phenomena
and conditions (facts).
 LIM, W. (1998) Asian New Urbanism, Singapore: Select
Publishing.

1.  Theoretical background on Asian and South East

Asian urbanism.
2.  Historical references on new urbanism approaches,
its challenges, success, failures and future
development in the context of South East Asian
countries such as Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand
and Malaysia.
3.  Overview on post-colonial urbanism and spaces.
 RESEARCH
AND DESIGN
METHODOLOGY
The basic methodologies used in this thesis are
as follows:

1.  Field research (source for primary data)

2.  Survey research (source for primary data)
3.  Literature studies (source for secondary data)
4.  Develop strategic operations
(design methods)
5.  Develop spatial and strategic interventions
(design approaches)
Strategic Operations
Strategic operations, devising site specific design methods in approaching and
responding to the site’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats:

1.  Identify variables that make up and influence the urban condition.
2.  Investigate the relationship between the urban condition and the city’s
fabric.
3.  Choose a moment within the urban condition and formulate an
understanding of the relationship between physical and social structures.
4.  Develop strategies for creating interactive relationships between physical
and social structures.
5.  Define the perimeter and analyze the structure of this urban territory.
6.  Investigate different ways of transforming it into a potential territory of
action for an urban hub.
7.  Prepare preliminary proposals for a direct hub at the architectural scale
and an urban hub at the urban scale.
Spatial and Strategic Interventions
Specific spatial and strategic interventions to facilitate infill programs as
urban regeneration catalysts to the site:

1.  Explore the potential of the designed direct hub as an urban component
and explore its relationship to rule-based urban systems.
2.  Reassess the territory of action as a potential design intervention.
3.  Identify and make use of relevant agents and initiatives.
4.  Define and design the direct role of the intervention by producing design
simulations and other strategic representations of the idea.
5.  Define the relationship between the proposal for the intervention and the
city's infrastructure, fabric and rule-based systems.
6.  Speculate on the interrelationship between the intervention, the urban
condition and the overall newly proposed environment.
7.  Finalize the strategy for the design, model and represent its spatial
configuration.
 CRITICAL
ASSESSMENT
AND SELF-
REFLECTION
1.  Initial analysis concluded that the area of study is experiencing a state
of decay, and if allowed to continue without any planning and design
intervention, the area will soon develop syndromes toward a failed
urban place.
2.  The existing character, urban artefacts, social, cultural and economic
activities are potentials that need to be addressed in any future
planning and design intervention, and shall utilize these potentials as
design strategies and components.
3.  To encourage sustainable urban regeneration program, the site need to
be approached in an incremental way - strategic development phases
are important to implement efficient urban regeneration plans.
4.  The rich urban tissue structure of the site require small and minimal
interventions, applied at many strategic spots instead of one big
intervention that would create forces that are too strong and shocking.
5.  Engineered-bricolage method is more preferable, as it will utilizes
elements around the site that are already strongly associated with the
community.
 KEY-
WORDS
END OF PART 1
25 March 2011