Indonesia, the world’s largest archipelagic country, is located in a notoriously active seismic zone. Every year, tens of thousands of homes are destroyed by earthquakes and tsunamis. However, people living in poverty in Indonesia are not able to benefit from the government’s affordable housing because only citizens with steady incomes and who are eligible for bank loans can apply. Many of those who do not qualify for public housing resort to using bricks, concrete, and tiles to build homes that fail to meet the government’s increasingly high safety standards. In light of this situation, the community architect group Yayasan Arkom Indonesia (YAI) has dedicated itself to post-disaster reconstruction, building houses that can withstand the impact of natural disasters, and empowering people to create spaces that truly meet their needs.

YAI was founded under the name ARKOMJOGJA by Indonesian architect Yuli Kusworo in 2007. The word ‘Arkom’, which appears in the group’s former and current names, is an abbreviation of ‘arsitek komunitas’, which means ‘community architect’ in Indonesian. As its name suggests, YAI uses community-driven design to build eco-friendly and sustainable dwellings and to solve problems brought about by poverty at their root source.

The group’s community engagement consists of three phases. The first phase involves the survey and mapping of community spaces. The YAI team invites families affected by natural disasters to use simple tools, such as coloured pencils and paper, to draw their community spaces. During the process, YAI’s architects listen to residents’ stories, experiences, and dreams. Then, together, they analyse the environmental, social, and economic issues faced by the community and explore possible solutions. This first step is crucial; not only does it enable the team to reach a consensus with the people, it establishes a basis for long-term collaboration and builds mutual trust between all parties.

In the second step, local residents participate in actual community planning. To encourage active community participation, YAI organises workshops, design seminars, and other casual events where residents can voice their opinions. During the process, the architects gain an understanding of the community’s characteristics, culture, and values. Meanwhile, with the guidance of professional architects, those who have been affected by natural disasters can acquire basic knowledge about construction, including information about spatial proportions, government legislation, and the effects of climate change and natural disasters. By participating in the planning of public facilities and shared spaces, residents can envision the ideal community that will be created after reconstruction. The coupling of folk wisdom and architectural know-how not only helps to solve practical housing problems but also helps to connect the community and foster a spirit of solidarity. Responding to the real needs of each individual community, YAI also helps residents set up community organisations that handle the planning, construction, and cash management of projects to ensure that they run smoothly.

In the third phase, local residents will take part in the construction of their homes. YAI offers training and shares their expertise and experience with community members, equipping them with the construction skills to improve their employment opportunities and their financial conditions. When residents see their ideas become a reality, they feel that they are an important part of the community, and this deepens their sense of belonging. In addition, YAI ensures that all the structures it builds exist in harmony with nature; by adopting innovative and sustainable building materials, energy-saving technology, and green spaces, the foundation sets the community on the right path for sustainable development.

Since its founding over a decade ago, YAI has worked on various reconstruction projects in 19 cities across Indonesia, including in tsunami and earthquake disaster zones in Aceh province and Central Sulawesi. The group has pooled together the expertise of some 160 industry professionals, including architects and planners, and also enlisted the help of more than 200 international students to build homes for over 7,000 impoverished residents and to establish some 30 community organisations. These community building projects are based on villages, many of which are located by the sea. Efforts from YAI have prompted the government to change its policies so that survivors of natural disasters no longer have to relocate further inland but can rebuild earthquake-resistant houses and communal facilities in their original coastal home areas, giving them the power to choose how they want to live after the reconstruction process. By bringing together government resources, subsidies from the foundation, donations, and collective savings, these projects have also helped bolster the financial resilience of affected communities. Furthermore, YAI has developed the concept of sister villages, which allows villages to assist one another in disaster prevention. After reconstruction, some communities can go on to become destinations for eco-tourism and economic development. YAI’s humanitarian work has received recognition from all sectors worldwide. In 2021, the group was named the Bronze Award Winner at the World Habitat Awards.

From YAI’s projects, it is clear that community architecture is much more than a concept. It is a movement and a push for social change that helps local residents, architects, planners, and social reformers realise their dreams of reshaping the environment. And it does this by tapping into the enormous potential of the community to create a more inclusive, sustainable, and vibrant future.