The Norms That Shape Residents' Preference for Muslim Housing Communities in Depok City, Indonesia

The idea of a Muslim housing community is both a clever marketing strategy and a residential concept closely aligned to the preferences of certain groups of people. In Depok City, Indonesia, the popularity of Muslim housing has increased rapidly, with such communities scattered across various districts of the city. This study characterizes living in a Muslim housing community as a residential preference formed primarily by two norms: sharia-based Islamic financing and neighborhood features. Drawing on Morris and Winter's theory of housing preferences, we show how the housing-related values and norms that have made Muslim housing communities popular can be linked to Muslim perspectives on how to live and, more specifically, on the desirable aspects of a house. As a case study, we examine the 51-unit Orchid Regency Muslim housing community, built by a developer who has focused his company's work on the sharia-based housing sector. The findings of this study demonstrate that the housing-related values that people adopt determine their preferences with regard to living in a Muslim housing community. When Muslims place family as their leading value in housing, and when they have specific neighborhood concerns related to their Muslim identity, certain desires arise that are expressed through the housing norms of neighborhood (i.e., seeking to live in a place that is well suited for raising a family and that supports its residents' worship activities) and financial scheme (i.e., financing that is in line with Islamic law). The interest in living in Muslim housing seems to be linked to a desire to enter completely into Islam (kaffah).