Culturally Adaptive Community Based Strategies for Improving Habitability in Informal Settlements in Bali Indonesia

Culturally Adaptive Community Based Strategies for Improving Habitability in Informal Settlements in Bali Indonesia | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Culturally Adaptive Community Based Strategies for Improving Habitability in Informal Settlements in Bali Indonesia Ngakan Ketut Acwin Dwijendra This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-7961859/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Under Review Version 1 posted 11 You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Rapid urbanisation in the Global South has resulted in the proliferation of informal settlements characterised by insecure tenure, poor infrastructure, and increasing climate vulnerability. This study investigates how culturally grounded, community-based strategies can enhance the habitability of informal settlements in Bali, Indonesia. Using a mixed-methods approach—comprising household surveys (n = 80), participatory mapping, in-depth interviews, and spatial observation—the research examines the influence of community participation, cultural adaptation, and infrastructure improvements on habitability outcomes. Regression analysis reveals that community participation (β = 0.45, p < 0.01) and cultural adaptation (β = 0.32, p < 0.05) significantly predict higher habitability scores. Qualitative results highlight three interrelated strategies: (1) participatory upgrading facilitated through banjar institutions; (2) incremental, climate-responsive construction using local materials; and (3) embedding ritual and collective practices such as gotong royong into environmental maintenance. Synthesising these findings, the paper proposes the Culturally Adaptive Community-Based Habitability Model (CACBHM). This framework integrates bottom-up community agency, top-down institutional support, and local cultural values to foster sustainable upgrading. The model demonstrates how culturally embedded participation enhances resilience, ownership, and policy alignment in informal settlement governance. The study contributes to Sustainable Development Goal 11 by offering a transferable paradigm for inclusive, resilient, and culturally grounded urban improvement across the Global South. informal settlements habitability community participation cultural adaptation banjar institutions Tri Hita Karana participatory upgrading sustainable urban development SDG 11 Global South Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Under Review Version 1 posted Editorial decision: Revision requested 15 Dec, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 03 Dec, 2025 Reviews received at journal 02 Dec, 2025 Reviews received at journal 01 Dec, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 01 Dec, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 16 Nov, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 10 Nov, 2025 Reviewers invited by journal 10 Nov, 2025 Editor assigned by journal 10 Nov, 2025 Submission checks completed at journal 06 Nov, 2025 First submitted to journal 06 Nov, 2025 You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-7961859","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":545937923,"identity":"4645028b-8a82-44cd-849b-b698db59e3a3","order_by":0,"name":"Ngakan Ketut Acwin 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