2022 Volume 9 Pages 25-41
Improving informal settlements have long been the biggest challenges for rapidly urbanizing Asian, African and Latin American cities. The participatory approach, implemented by the community, requires technical support, where the local housing production system, more specifically at the site, local carpenters and/or contractors, have taken a role in providing such support. Indonesia is one of the typical cases in terms of informal settlement improvement. These projects, particularly at implementation phase, naturally, should be technically supported through local housing production system organized by master carpenters called mandors, who have both soft and hard skills, leading and guiding the construction sites.
This research, therefore, aims to empirically discuss how Indonesia’s master carpenters, mandors, can contribute to the recent informal settlement improvement projects, including KOTAKU, from the institutional perspective as well as at the project implementation. For this objective a case study was conducted in three districts of Ngampilan, Muja Muju and Klitren in Yogyakarta City. Considering the possible contribution of mandors, brought through their philosophy of leadership and coordination based on Javanese culture, at the different phases of upgrading project, research, planning and implementation, the conclusion highlights (1) based on the relationship between the project leaders and the government, a process that can utilize the capabilities of the master carpenters by collaborating with them through the local prime contractor is desirable, (2) when setting up technical positions in the formation stage of the project's implementation organization, it is ideal to secure a slot for the master carpenters from the planning stage, and (3) since the authority of the field in physical improvement lies mainly with the local residents and the professional engineers in charge, it is desirable to strengthen the authority of the master carpenters in the field in order to utilize their skills.
