A Review of Adaptive Reuse of Urban Heritage: Relevant Lesson from Semarang Old Town, Indonesia

Abstract

Semarang Old Town is proof of the use of a prosperous cultural heritage area in Indonesia. The purpose of this study contains a study that explains the application of adaptive reuse in cultural heritage areas in Semarang Old Town. The data collection method was field observation and document review, while the analysis technique used descriptive qualitative analysis. The data analyzed in this study were in the form of spatial data and a-spatial data from Semarang Old Town. The study results show that Semarang Old Town is evidence of the successful use of cultural heritage areas. Within five years, the government and the community have succeeded in changing the area that was formerly slum, prone to crime, flooding, and various other social problems into one of the national and international tourist destinations, which also helps improve the socio-economic life of the community. The conservation of the area that has been carried out is in accordance with adaptive reuse theories, which change the function of the building from a residential area to a commercial and office area along with its management procedures which are realized by collaborating with the renovation and conservation method of the building while maintaining the original form of the building.