Functionality and Adaptability of Coastal Housing
Due to the rapid growth of cities, especially in developing countries (DCs), cities face social problems for humans and the environment (UNHABITAT 2003).
Moreover, the Indonesian archipelago of 81.000 km coastal line is inhabited by more than 25% of the population with the majority being low-income earners (Dahuri et al, 2001).
The functionality and adaptability of coastal low-income housing in Indonesia are of utmost importance. As a rapidly developing nation, Indonesia faces the challenge of providing suitable housing options for its low-income population residing in coastal areas. This type of housing plays a crucial role in ensuring safe and affordable shelter for vulnerable communities, while also considering the unique environmental factors and geographical conditions of the Indonesian archipelago.
Settlements in coastal areas also have physical problems related to corrosive and natural hazards (ADB 2003; UNHABITAT 2003). Low-income housing has a multi-dimensional meaning and significance.
A house is not just a shelter but also a place to accommodate all of the households’ activities, including business activities needed to gain family income. Home Based Enterprises (HBEs) support many low income households in developing countries to increase household income.
In coastal settlements especially, these activities are conducted in improper house condition without standards of space for business activities. Moreover, this condition has worsened because of the lack of infrastructure, services, physical facilities and clean water.
To improve the quality of human life in the coastal cities, some local governments of Indonesia have decided to resettle or redevelop those settlements.
Meanwhile, many cases show that resettlements or redevelopment in several communities fail to meet the households’ requirements. These are caused by the applied building systems using unsustainable materials and disregard for the geographical coastal context, which do not meet households’ requirements.
This study investigated a set of issues about the space designs of low-income housing in coastal areas.
The research focused on the households’ requirements for functionality and adaptability especially to support business activities of residents at home.
Although several studies on coastal housing problems have been conducted widely, investigation on the sustainability of the building is still limited in terms of household requirements related to changes in the needs of households (Kobayashi, 2000; Marfa’i, M.A, 2008).