Kultum–Kultur Bertumbuh is a sustainability collective shaped by our Indonesian heritage, centring lived experience in the built environment.
We are also one of the finalists for Decarbonising Transport Awards 2026 following our commitment to:
Rooted in Indonesian and diasporic traditions of movement, communal care, and gathering, our work recognises that how people travel, inhabit space, and celebrate is shaped by memory and belonging.
We centre these lived experiences in conversations around sustainability, including active travel, co-design, and upcycling.
Culture for us is not symbolic - it is infrastructural. It shapes how towns and cities feel, function, and evolve.
We design with communities, not for them.
Through walking, play, dialogue, and co-design, we create spaces where people can reflect on how they experience their neighbourhoods. We prioritise intergenerational voices and those often excluded from planning processes.
Our aim is to strengthen trust, participation, and shared responsibility - ensuring that change is inclusive, grounded, and collectively shaped.
We believe meaningful change is relational.
Kultum works across community groups, educators, designers, and institutions to connect lived experience with professional practice. By bridging grass-roots insight with strategic thinking, we support safer, lower-waste, and more equitable environments for all.
Collaboration, for us, is long-term and mutual - built on shared learning and collective accountability.
Jalan means “walk” in Bahasa Indonesia. As part of Kultum’s active travel and co-design initiative, it represents more than physical movement—it is a metaphor for community resilience, collective action, and the everyday right to feel safe and welcome in public space. Jalan—Co-ffee and Co-Design is Kultum’s series of community walking audits shaped by coffee, conversation, and collaborative re-design. Blending inclusive lived experience with urban design tools, we centre walkability, accessibility, and safety through the lenses of underrepresented groups.
Our events take place at different times throughout the year. As Kultum is a passion project alongside our full-time work, we treat it as a creative playground - which means meaningful gatherings for communities. We usually run 5-6 events each year. The best place to hear about new dates and updates is our Instagram @kultum.co. We are always open to collaborating on new events.
Kultum is rooted in Indonesian lived experience, but we are not exclusively for Indonesians. We warmly welcome people of all ages, backgrounds, and identities. We are we’re especially passionate about creating space for under-represented communities in the UK.
We love collaborating — with individuals, collectives, organisations, and communities. Our work centres culture, community, and collaboration, and includes:
We are particularly open to projects connected to under-represented communities in active travel, public spaces, urban-rural connectivity, and co-design.
We would love to hear from you! Please email kultum.co@gmail.com with a short introduction and your ideas.
Yes — we would love that! If you are interested in volunteering, email kultum.co@gmail.com and we will share details about our volunteering scheme and upcoming opportunities.
In most cases, yes. We document our events to celebrate and share the community we build together. We always seek consent before photographing participants, so you can feel comfortable and safe at our events. Your comfort and choice are our priority.