Praying for Water: The Mosque as a Catalyst Towards a Decentralized Water Supply System in the Informal Urban Settlements of Bandung, Indonesia

Praying for Water deals with several water related challenges in Bandung’s informal urban areas, first and foremost the lack of safe drinking water and proper sanitation. Although being based on the proposal for a decentralized water supply system, a rather holistic solution approach is followed. Beyond the use of appropriate technical components, the organization, implementation-process and integration of local stakeholders and community institutions plays a main role. The aim is to further develop the existing type of the kampung mosque into a decentralized water purifcation and supply unit along the river benches. The existing institutional infrastructure is the key to address people, their unsustainable behavior and to cope with organizational challenges. Added functions will not only improve the water infrastructure but also provide more green and public space and therefore create a more healthy environment. The successful advancement of a new prototype of mosque has the potential to be adapted in many informal urban areas with similar characteristics. A successful concept of spread is essential because the involvementof architects and other professionals in the informal building sector are exceptional and hence of very limited impact. Following this approach, residents themselves could turn their polluted river benches into a green belt that cleans their waste water and provides space for leisure, economic and cultural activities.Shared Heritage Lab BandungArchitecture, Urbanism and Building Science