Review Artikel - Place and Place-making in Cities: A Global Perspectives
- March 25, 2017
- By Komunitas Citizen
- 0 Comments
Ditulis oleh Satia Putra - London, 9 Maret 2017
Critical
Summary of ‘Place and Place-making in Cities: A Global Perspectives’
John Friedmann (2010)
In the ‘Place and Place-making in
Cities: A Global Perspectives’, Friedmann (2010) has highlighted how the
urbanising region have failed to manage and recognise the need of ordinary
people under tight global competition. Friedmann argues that this has led to
the creation of an unfair space or “placelessness” which intensify social
issues in cities and its surroundings. The writer’s purpose of writing this
article is to construct a definition and criteria of place from a planner perspective;
and also to identify mistakes that have been made in handling urban growth and
giving a solution on how it should be managed. This critical summary will look
at these definition, criteria and suggestion; And use case studies from the
city of Nairobi and Jakarta to show how place could be considered in different
scales and how good intention of relocation has been misinterpreted because of
its bad execution.
Friedmann (2010) defines place as a
“small, three-dimensional urban space that is cherished by people who inhibit
it”. To elaborate its definition, the writer uses criteria such as:
(1) Small space
(2) Inhibited
(3) Cherished or valued by people
(4) And space to encounter & gather
These criteria have highlighted how
the intensity of social connection and interaction are important factors for space
such as the urban slums, to be considered as place. However, a study in Nairobi
has shown that slums also had increases rate of crime such as rape in the city (Kabiru,
et. al., 2012) which has been identified by Friedmann as a result of
placelessness. This has shown that urban slum
under the criteria that is given by author is not placeless. Nevertheless, slum
in the wider scale or in the urban context should be considered as placeless
because of the interrelation between the slum and the city has led to a
dysfunctional urban society.
Friedmann then reiterates how
eviction or relocation of a neighbourhood have destroyed social pattern that
has been built, thus negatively impacted well-being of its members. The writer
argues that evictions is done because of the consequences of growth which
require a more
profitable development in order to
be able to compete in the global world. However, in a case study of Jakarta, the
underlying purpose of its recent relocation in Kalijodo is for the safety of the
neighbourhood. Kalijodo is well-known for its seasonal flooding and being one
of the biggest red light district in the city (Harvey and Wu, 2016), thus making the space not
suitable to live in. Furthermore, the land is then redesigned to be a public
park which consolidate social interaction in the city.
Governor of DKI Jakarta
inaugurate Kalijodo Park
Nonetheless, it can be argued that the
purpose of the relocation plan has not been communicated clearly to the
community, which has led to many misunderstanding and conflicts throughout its
process (Harvey and Wu, 2016). In relation to the issue, Friedmann concluded his article by suggesting
that place-making should be initiated by the government to be done by
neighbourhood and for neighbourhood with the guidance of professionals such as
planner.
References
Adimaja, M. (2017) Ahok Set to
Inaugurate Kalijodo Park as Governor on Sunday. Available from: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2017/02/09/ahok-set-to-inaugurate-kalijodo-park-as-governor-on-sunday.html [Accessed 9 March 2017]
Friedmann, J. (2010). ‘Place and
place-making in cities: a global perspective’. Planning Theory & Practice, 11(2), 149-165.
Harvey, A. & Wu, A. (2016) Kalijodo:
Demolition of Jakarta's Red Light District Leaves Hundreds Facing Eviction.
Available from: http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-02-24/jakarta-demolition-of-kalijodo-leaves-hundreds-facing-eviction/7194330 [Accessed 9 March 2017]
Kabiru,
Caroline, W., et. al. (2012). ‘Making it: understanding adolescent resilience
in two informal settlements (slums) in nairobi, kenya’. Child & Youth Services, 33(1),
12-32.
