Flush and Splash

Abstract

The Flush and Splash project proposes to reconnect the cultural and the natural heritage of the city through the Semarang river watershed. It begins with acknowledging how the Semarang river have been facing continuous landscape degradation despite it being a backbone of the city based on the observation of historical trajectory and site visits. Following the synthesis, the thesis then constructs its foundation by the theory of risk = (hazard x vulnerability) / coping capacity (Cardona. et al., 2012). Hence, the analysis proceed by investigating the variables of the equation which leads to the findings of multiple water related challenges: (1) land subsidence due to uncontrolled groundwater extraction; (2) coastal, pluvial, and fluvial flooding; and (3) low water quality due to poor waste management in the city. These hazards are currently dominating the equation as the coping capacity and the vulnerability of the citizens have not been able to balance the scale. This framework then developed the equation by changing the coping capacity into regenerative capacity, which is the combination of the theories of ecosystem services biomimicry (Zari, 2018) and socio-ecological resilience (Cote & Nightingale, 2012), in order to guide the project in developing water sensitive urban design strategies. A regenerative design means that interventions contain elements which mimic the ecosystem services that they become productive landscapes for the community to be able to sustain themselves in facing possible future hazards. Hence, the proposed strategies would try their best to engage with the local communities through participatory planning. Examples of these interventions are shown in this thesis through the three sub-projects of Purify, Protect, and Provide; which are pioneered by a series of multifunctional bridges along the Semarang River.