Sidi Boedi Darma
II. HOUSING INFRASTRUCTURE AND SUSTAINABLE CONCEPT 2.1. Sustainable Concept as Global Issue
Biosphere is “designed” with it complex of self-sustaining system (Clapham, J.W.B. 1983). Material cycles such as water cycles, carbon cycles provide the living organism with materials they need to live. The interaction between living organism or Biotic Component with Non-Living Organism such as water, air, mineral and soil as a-biotic component built an ecosystem with its cycles and continuity processes. This all showed the basic concept of sustainability. An alteration in one component would be followed by changes at other component. This is an automatics chain process.
Human Beings as a living organism are not the same as animals or plants.
The social goals of human beings as described by the Maslow Triangle hierarchy (Maslow A.) includes “a never ending” necessity to improve their standards of living. As soon as basic or lower level necessities are fulfilled, human beings would request higher standards for themselves.
The economic activities of human beings as a part of society influence their biotic and a-biotic environment regarding the cycles of materials, with a more negative than positive impact on the environment. This environmental degradation have forced countries around the world to arrange the Rio Earth Summit in 1992, where countries agreed to take action across nations in promoting sustainable development.
The triangular relationship between society, economic activity and environment (http://www.sustainabledevelopmentinfo.com) should also be balanced. The environment has to undergo a regeneration processes to be able to maintain its capacity in supporting society along with its economic activities. The goal of sustainability is, ultimately, the well being of human beings; to fulfill their current needs without neglecting the needs of future generations.
In Agenda 21 of the 1992 Rio Earth Summit (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/
Agend 21), it is stated that poverty, consumption pattern, health, population and housing are al important aspects in realizing sustainable environment.
It is also mentioned in the “MDG” or Millenniums Development Goals as a further action from the Rio Summit (http://www.un.org/ millenniumgoals).
It can be concluded that housing is one basic need of human beings,
whose quality is strongly related with the concept of sustainability. In other words, housing, poverty eradication, and health all play an important part in reaching sustainable living. Neglecting those aspects could produce a negative impact on the environment and the continuity of human life in that settlement.
2.2. Human Settlement and Sustainability
Human settlements, as an artificial environment, have a tremendous influence on the quality of the environment itself. Some prerequisites are to be met to ensure a settlement’s livability and environmental sustainability.
The use of renewable and non-renewable resources should be limited to certain limits .
The effect to the environment is depending on the size of the activities and its environment-related infrastructures (Stren, R. et.al., 1992). Although, in Agenda 21 (Agenda 21, p. 65), the objectives of human settlements are to improve the social, economic and environmental quality of its inhabitants, which is inherent in the basic concept of sustainability, in reality, some data showed that the speed of pollutant generation is not matched by the capacity of their natural cycling processes (Choguill, C.L., p.7, 1994).
Those wastes affect very much especially the quality of air, water, rivers, lake, ocean and soil.
The low income income people housing is usually characterized by inadequate infrastructure other environmental problems such as flood, disease etc. Public services such as clean water, safe sanitation and proper drainage system and transport facilities are normally also below standards both in quality and quantity (Choguill, C.L., 1994). These condition are usually connected with polluted air, water and soils, which endanger the life quality of communities.
2.3. Building Embodied and Operational Energy
Housing, as one important human basic need, can nowadays be built from almost any material, provided from natural, manually-processed to industrially-produced materials. Natural products such as timber, bamboos, straw and stone have different endurance, type of construction capabilities and appearances (http://www.yourhome.gov.au/materials) from industrialized materials, such as steel, glass and other synthetic materials which seem to have more flexible construction possibilities, durability and appearance.
Industrialized building materials affect the environment ever since their mining process, industrial production, transportation, construction procedure and possibly even as post-construction waste. The whole process also requires relatively high amounts of embodied energy. In contrast, recycled materials for housing construction is known as a solution in reducing embodied energy and related environmental pollution (Jane Anderson, http://www.greenspec.co.uk/building-design).
Design, material and construction method chosen for building determine the amount of embodied energy. Building maintenance and repair also contribute to total embodied energy. It is strongly related to the so-called Carbon Foot Print, or contribution to air pollution and related material cycles (http://www.circularecology.com/embodied-energy- and-carbon-footprint-database.html). Each building has a complex combination of materials that contribute to total embodied energy and their respective impact on the environment.
In informal housing settlement or low income housing brick clay, wood and bamboo are often used as prime building materials. This phenomenon identical with low embedded energy but has strong relation to natural product, which also related to material cycles, especially water, air and its gases. The better is housing environment the better is the material durability, furthermore it support better living quality.
2.4. Housing Infrastructure
In settlements, housing structures and infrastructure determine the living quality and its impact to the environment. Housing infrastructure in this case is limited in water supply, waste water and solid waste, street and canalization which have direct impact to quality of life and environment.
In Urban area, a fast growing housing settlement is usually followed by incomplete or inadequate infrastructure (Stren R. et.al.), which could pose a serious threat to sustainability.
2.4.1. Land and Water
Land is one important resource on earth. Its quality determined the life quality and many cycles of material needed for supporting life. Good water cycles need certain areas of land which allows easy penetration (Clapham JWB, 1983) to build ground water as water reservoir for plantation, microorganisms and human beings. Land covered by development on earth has a reduced absorption capacity, lowering its
capacity to support life.
Runoff water goes into rivers and reaches the sea more quickly, becoming saltwater, which requires costly processes to become potable water.
Developed countries like Germany attempt to slow down the water flow in rivers through water dams which use the water for agriculture and produce electricity in same time (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Upper Rhine).
Land and water issues pose very serious challenges to the sustenance of life on earth. Losing clean water and fertile land would inevitably reduce the quality of life. Once their quality is degraded, it is very hard and costly to restore them to their initial condition. For example, the Rhine River required about 50 years, with the help of at least six countries, to enable it to provide clean water and to be used for fresh water fishery.
2.4.2. Waste Water and Solid Waste
Waste water and solid waste from household activities are the most pollutant elements to fresh water and earth. Beside its serious impact on living and non-living organisms on earth, they also reduce the availability of fresh water in the earth (Choguill, CL). Those wastes need to be treated to reduce their negative impact on fresh water availability.
In case of human settlements, as in housing, waste water must at least be done correctly through the use of septic tanks or similar equipments which can reduce pollutants in the water and the risk of polluting the ground.
Solid waste could also have a serious impact on fresh water availability and earth ground property if handled improperly. In many developing countries, waste water and solid waste constitute the largest share of pollutants in the water.
2.4.3. Street and canals
Proper planning of different sizes of streets and canalization can contribute to the availability of open spaces, which also affects the environment of settlements. It plays an important role in development planning (Hillier B.
1983). It also determines the movement of peoples and goods. In case of housing, streets and canalization are related to water supply and sanitation, which affects conditions of health in the surroundings.
Street and canalization patterns are interdependent with housing density,
and potentials problems of overcrowding such as stress to citizens, aggression, accidents, spread of diseases and domestic violence. High density settlements are usually also characterized by inadequate public facilities and services such as clean water and sewerage system (Ziss, R.
1988).
2.5. Conclusions
It is clear that infrastructure of housing settlement, especially water availability, water supply and waste water handling played a significant role for in realizing sustainable environment. Low income housing endangered life and environment quality throughout it’s under quality or inadequate infrastructure facilities. This interdependent condition between infrastructure quality and environment determined its sustainable status.
The waste product of housing settlement influence its environmental pollution level which is affected the resources especially land and water, which is needed for settlement livability.
While sustainable concept shown the balance of three element:
Economics, Environment and Society, the housing settlement sustainability depended very much on appropriate and adequate infrastructure, especially for water, waste and waste water handling. Healthy housing environment, where clean water availability and low polluted air, ground and river, support a healthy life.