Abstract

This study investigates the spatial strategies of home-based enterprises (HBE) in rental apartments in Jakarta. The provision of affordable housing in the city has been outpaced by rapid population growth, leading to a growing shortage of housing. As a result, high-density slum settlements have become a plausible housing solution, forcing the government to build rental apartments on public land to cope with the growing shortage. Although these apartments have been built to meet the technical requirements of homes, some residents appropriate their housing units to operate HBE in order to improve their livelihoods. These enterprises generate an interweaving of social, economic and domestic activities requiring the enactment of certain spatial strategies. Based on a case study of Jatinegara rental apartments, this research explored the spatial strategies of HBE and the relationship between these strategies and resident demographics. Multiple spatial strategies varying in time and space were found, which relate to different numbers and types of home-based enterprise. The results complement existing home-based enterprise research, and the spatial strategies found can contribute to the improved design of rental apartments for the underprivileged.