Lessons from a Small Island – Density, Spatial Development, and Identity

Abstract

Below we explore the relationship between culture and urban design in order to situate why this important interaction remains a somewhat vexed issue, one somewhat unexplored in the urban design literature. Our chosen site is the tropical paradise of Bali, a world renowned island famous for its culture and environment. Being physically isolated both geographically and culturally from the rest of Indonesia, Bali provides a unique opportunity to advance our knowledge of relationships critical to an urban design awareness. On the surface, urban density, a defining quality of cities is a central focus, round which issues of cultural identity revolve. In contention is the fact that the density of built form across the island is controlled by a single regulation, with the justification that it protects Balinese traditional culture. The following paper reveals not only that this relationship is illusory, but also that ideology is critical to our understanding. Traditional ‘cultural’ explanations are insufficiently encompassing. An archaeology of other factors that affect local culture interact in complex ways – a violent recent history, economic exploitation, global tourism and identity. Standing well outside the vocabulary of mainstream urban design yet formative of urban culture, these forces must be paid homage. They also exist within the realm of ideological formations suggesting that the culture: urban design relationship must be contained within a general acceptance of ideology as formative in urban space, since they bridge the gap between culture and the material base of Balinese Society