The Behavior of Lower-Middle-Class Residential Communities Toward Flood-Adaptive Architecture

Abstract

This study discusses the behavior of residents living in uninhabitable houses in understanding adaptive architecture in response to flooding. Flood problems in dense settlements are influenced not only by environmental conditions, but also by housing quality, economic limitations, flood experience, and residents’ ability to adjust domestic spaces. While prior research on flood adaptation in Jakarta has largely focused on area-scale design and infrastructural interventions, limited attention has been given to how residents of uninhabitable housing independently understand and practice adaptive architecture. This study addresses that gap by centering residents’ own adaptive behavior. The research was conducted in Cawang Taman Harapan, East Jakarta, using a mixed-method descriptive approach through field observation, visual documentation, semi-structured interviews, spatial sketches, and an uninhabitable housing checklist. Ten flood-affected houses were selected purposively. The findings show that residents independently adapt by raising floor or door thresholds, moving belongings to higher locations, using vertical storage, installing temporary water barriers, and utilizing upper floors as storage or safer areas. These adaptations indicate a practical understanding of adaptive architecture, although they are not based on formal technical design knowledge. The study contributes an understanding of resident-driven adaptation patterns in lower-middle-income housing and emphasizes that adaptive strategies should be simple, gradual, affordable, and responsive to existing physical and socio-economic conditions.