A Preliminary Study: Portraying the Situation within Child-friendly Integrated Public Space in the Midst of COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

This research aims to portray the situation within Child-friendly Integrated Public Space (well known as RPTRA, an abbreviated version of Ruang Publik Terpadu Ramah Anak) in the midst of COVID-19 pandemic. RPTRA itself is an urban project in the Province of Jakarta, the capital city of Indonesia, which provides a safe and comfortable playground for city residents, especially children. Previous research regarding RPTRA generally discussed how RPTRA provides certain social functions for city residents, for instance building social interaction and giving space for relaxation as well as recreation. This means that RPTRA is seen as a space where those various activities take place. Within the context of COVID-19 pandemic, this research attempts to take another point of view. It rather depicts an unequivocal and subtle space contestation within the situation in the RPTRA. The tension exists between the management made by the local government and the real needs of city residents. In other words, it can be argued that RPTRA is not only a space where various activities happen, but also a space which has its own dynamics of formation influenced by many related aspects, such as economy, politics, and culture. The theoretical framework uses the concept of space production from Henri Lefebvre. This concept itself states that in the production of space, there exists social conflict between abstract space and social space. The former indicates city plans made by urban planners, while the latter describes real activities of city residents. This research employs a qualitative approach by taking a case study on RPTRA Rusun Tanah Tinggi (Rustanti), Jakarta, Indonesia, which is located in a densely populated and middle-lower class settlement. Online in-depth interview and visual participatory are used as a research method. The finding shows that on one hand, the staff of RPTRA, representing local government, focus on the maintenance of RPTRA facilities and the promotion of urban gardening as a leading program. On the other hand, city residents rather need social services that can alleviate their social burdens in the midst of COVID-19 pandemic and more health protocols implementation. This conflict of both sides thus must be solved well, so that the distance between abstract and social space could be erased gradually.