Exploring the Urban Greening Community in Jakarta’s Urban Kampung: A Tactical Urbanism Perspective

This study examines the urban greening community movement through the lens of tactical urbanism as a community-based urban planning model. Tactical urbanism, gaining traction as both a response and an alternative to urban challenges, is defined by active community participation. This approach challenges traditional top-down planning by offering swift, adaptive, and creative solutions tailored to community needs. By fostering participatory planning, tactical urbanism enhances collective awareness and empowers communities to drive development and address urban issues. The emphasis on grassroots involvement ensures a more inclusive and effective planning process. Despite its potential, tactical urbanism remains under explored within Indonesia’s planning framework. This study analyzes the tactical urbanism process in urban greening communities in Jakarta’s urban kampung, exploring whether tactical urbanism serves as a steppingstone to achieving more strategic long-term goals and examining the role of stakeholders outside the community in this process. In-depth interviews with key members of three urban greening communities and thematic data analysis reveal several key findings: the greening movement is primarily driven by personal initiatives; the formalization of community structures plays a crucial role; government and private sector involvement influences the process of maintaining urban greening community’s needs; empowerment and behavioral changes occur within the community; and organizational sustainability remains a key challenge. Based on the findings, it proposes an “organic tactical urbanism” framework as a practical guide for addressing urban challenges in various contexts.