Jakarta’s Sinking City

For years, organising ideas competitions for tertiary students and young professionals has revealed a recurring pattern: Indonesian participants frequently propose solutions to Jakarta’s sinking and flooding problems, while entries from countries like Vietnam often suggest floating villages as adaptive strategies.

This led me to wonder: what would Jakarta look like if it combined traditional kampung (village) architecture or stilted structures, abundant green roofs with engineered solutions such as channelling floodwaters into usable lakes or water bodies surrounding these stilted communities?

I asked AI platforms to visualise this scenario. The results, however, fell short of reality. (Unless someone is making Lord of the Rings in Asia.) Why? Because they overlook the complex urban and infrastructural challenges unique to Jakarta, as well as the deep-rooted issues of water management. Traditional kampung or vernacular architecture, while environmentally sensitive, may not appeal to everyone—especially when juxtaposed with modern skyscrapers. Who wants bamboo kampungs next to skyscrapers? While the principles of vernacular design can inspire modern adaptations, kampungs are not isolated entities; they exist within intricate ecosystems of both natural and manmade elements.

Jakarta’s Flooding and Sinking: The Real Picture

Jakarta’s vulnerability to flooding is not primarily due to increased rainfall. Instead, four main factors drive the crisis:

• Excessive extraction of groundwater, leading to rapid land subsidence.
• The sheer weight of urban buildings.
• Compaction of young alluvial soils.
• Tectonic activities 1,2,3.

Groundwater extraction is the most significant factor. As much as 40% of Jakarta now sits below sea level, and parts of North Jakarta are subsiding at rates of up to 28 centimetres per year, far outpacing global sea level rise 2,3. Rapid urbanisation and the replacement of natural vegetation with impervious surfaces have exacerbated run-off and flash floods. River channels have narrowed or become clogged with sediment and trash, increasing the risk of overflow 2.

Adaptation: What Works and What Doesn’t

While floating villages and stilted kampung-style homes are visually compelling, they do not address the scale of Jakarta’s urban challenges. The city’s population has more than doubled since 1990, with over 32 million people now living in the metropolitan area, many in high-risk floodplains 2. The government’s response has included ambitious projects such as the construction of a giant seawall and artificial islands in Jakarta Bay, but these have faced environmental, economic, and technical hurdles 2.

Evidence-based adaptation measures show that:

• Recharge and retention ponds can reduce flood risk by up to 33%, outperforming other structural interventions 4.
• Non-structural measures, like land use zoning and land subsidence control, can also significantly alleviate flood risks 4.
• Green infrastructure, including green roofs and vertical gardens, can help manage stormwater and improve urban resilience, as demonstrated in projects like Singapore’s Kampung Admiralty, where greenery covers 53% of the building plot area 5.

The Limits of Vernacular Solutions

Traditional stilted kampung houses are well-adapted to tropical climates and periodic flooding, using local materials and passive cooling techniques 6. However, the rapid modernisation and densification of cities like Jakarta have marginalised these approaches. Social acceptance is another barrier—many urban residents may not desire traditional wooden or bamboo structures next to modern high-rises, despite their environmental advantages.

Read: Modern Kampung Hybrids: Lessons from Jakarta and Beyond

Can Kampung Principles Be Scaled Up?

Các examples reveal key insights:

• Community participation is essential. Projects that exclude residents or fail to address social dynamics risk failure, regardless of design quality.
• Modern materials and hybrid designs can preserve kampung aesthetics while meeting urban durability standards. For example, using recycled composites instead of bamboo can improve longevity.
• Environmental adaptation such as green roofs, rainwater harvesting and stilted foundations can mitigate flooding risks when integrated thoughtfully.

In short, implementing such systems in Jakarta would require overcoming significant challenges in resources, financing, and, crucially, public acceptance.

Conclusion

Jakarta’s future resilience will depend on a blend of engineered and nature-based solutions, informed by both local tradition and modern science.

Traditional kampung architecture alone cannot solve Jakarta’s sinking crisis, but its human-centred design principles—community cohesion, environmental sensitivity and adaptability—can inspire innovative urban solutions that are both sustainable and socially inclusive.

Even so, Jakarta’s survival hinges on stopping groundwater extraction 13 and fixing governance gaps. Without systemic change, even the best designs will sink into history.