Constructing spatial capital: household adaptation strategies in home-based enterprises in Yogyakarta

Abstract

Home-Based Enterprises (HBEs), as part of the informal sector, have been studied over the last three decades from economic, social, urban planning, housing policy, and environmental impacts perspectives, among others. But to date, their spatial implications have not been thoroughly explored. In urban areas, many households deploy all their potential resources, such as human, social, financial and physical assets, to generate income from a home business as part of household survival strategies. For those who live in large dwellings, the issue of business activity in the domestic area might not lead to conflict between home and work, between reproduction and production. However, generally low-income households who engage in HBE activities live in small dwellings, and thus there is a premium on space. This study therefore explores various adaptation strategies undertaken by households with HBEs associated with their use of space. It is focused on kampung of Yogyakarta City in Indonesia. By taking a qualitative approach and using a multi-method strategy, the study investigates selected dwellings with HBEs in Kampung Prawirodirjan, Yogyakarta, where one in three dwellings has a home business. The study draws on synchronic and diachronic approaches that not only observe processes of adaptation but also document the use of space over time. This offers a thorough assessment of the strategies used by households to respond to the co-existence of domestic and business activities within the same dwelling, including their motivations and reasons for their decisions. The analysis of strategies is based on Berry’s (1980) adaptation theory in terms of exploring how households arrange interior space, make more space, and manage activities and movements. Although this study is highly context-specific, it offers a range of insights into how urban households accumulate capital as part of their survival strategy and to overcome poverty. Furthermore, it shows how households who conduct a home business construct spatial capital not only to make a living but also to achieve a better and more harmonious home environment.