VIRTUAL: Prague Heritages

Abstract

The multi-ethnic country Indonesia has a large variety of historic towns, comprises chronologically early towns, Indische towns referring to mixed native-colonial, colonial towns, modern towns, and contemporary towns, each of which can be derived into large variations based on prevalent demographic, religious, social, and economic diversities. The variety gives rise to the notion of locality that embodies in original urban fabric which in the context of current development is commonly referred as ‘old urban areas’ of local characteristics related either to historic, traditional, or vernacular values, or their combination in various degrees. Kudus is an historic town located in northern coastal area of Central Java that established in the mid-16th C as a center of Islamic development, and well-known for its dense old district that composed of elaborately carved wooden traditional houses. However, this old district and its fabrics has faced that demand rearrangements of building form, dwelling space, and urban structure. This paper aims to examine tendencies of change and continuity that have taken place in Kudus old district for the last 3 decades, and to recommend a proper conservation approach for future planning directions to sustain the distinct locality of the historic environment. The research is qualitative with field observation method supported by non-structured interviews with inhabitants of the wooden traditional houses. The result shows that pressures for alterations have been resulted from growing population, intensifying activity, changing lifestyle, and family inheritance problems. Tendency of changes has occurred in the scope of buildings, access spaces, and the district areas. The recommendation for design and planning directions is distinctively stratified into 3 scopes: the traditional wooden houses as vulnerable artefacts, traditional alleys as socially cohesive access spaces, and the old district as an historic urban environment.