Micro-Climate and the Use of Kampong-Kota Communal Space

Communal outdoor space functions as a social space, especially in dense urban housing, such as in a city. The microclimate represents local climatic conditions consisting of temperature, humidity, wind and solar radiation. Many previous studies have looked at the relationships and effects of microclimate that have an impact on the intensity and behavior of outdoor space use. Unfortunately, this research has never been carried out in a dense communal space such as a urban informal settlement. Because there are people who tolerate and end up enjoying feelings of warmth and heat, depending on expectations and thermal experiences in the past. The objective of this study was to assess how much the influence of microclimate elements on the space use is related to preferences on microclimate and spatial use activities. A case study was conducted in a communal space in the informal settlement of Petamburan, Jakarta. The Field Survey included a structured interview with standardized questionnaire and observation of activities in the communal space, along with daytime microclimate monitoring. Data analyzed with PLS (Partial Least Squares) program to obtain the first model showing the measurement model and the second model which was a structural model that shows the estimated power of the equation model among the measured latent/construct variables. The analysis showed that a person's behavior in the form of the arrival rate (frequency) in using their communal space cannot only be evaluated from the conditions of the microclimate in the form of wind but need to be seen first from their preferences (hot and humid) on the microclimate. These results will serve as guidelines for architects and urban designers in describing conditions and possible further developments to improve microclimate conditions based on the physical design of urban space.