The Housing and Settlement Expertise Group (KK-PP) in the Architecture Study Program originated from the STRAPP (Planning and Design Strategy) Group which was established in the early 1970s to carry out development studies low-cost housing in Jakarta and other cities in Indonesia. This group is a pioneer in developing research and learning about housing and settlements as separate knowledge to answer issues and problems in developing countries such as Indonesia.

In 1975 this KK collaborated with DPMB (which is now Puslitbangkim) and Bouwcentrum, the Netherlands and the Technology Development Institute (TDI) of The East West Center, University of Hawaii, to organize an international seminar on Low Cost Housing in Developing Countries, ‘Roving Seminar on Low-cost Housing in Developing CountriesThe next activity was to present ideas from the results of this seminar at The First Habitat Conference in Vancouver in 1976.

Participation in these international activities continues with the development of new approaches in research and implementation of housing and settlement development in developing countries, namely by changing the paradigm from 'low-cost housing' Becomes 'housing for low income people'. This KK applies the new paradigm deeply action research and implementation of KIP (Kampung Improvement Program) in Bandung sponsored by UNEP. Furthermore, the researchers who are members of the KK also conduct research related to paradigms ‘empowering and enabling people'And'sustainable environment for the community’.

Some of these KK members led the establishment of PPLH (Center for Environmental Research) at ITB in collaboration with the Ministry of Environment, as the first environmental research center to be developed in Indonesia. The ITB Environmental Research Center which involves most of the KK members has run 'community based action research for rural environment sustainability'In the village of Cigaru Ciamis in 1980. Some of the senior figures of the KK also act as initiators for the establishment of the Postgraduate Development Studies program at ITB. In 1986 the late Prof. Hasan Poerbo as the founder of KK was chosen to be a judge for the Aga Khan Award and became visiting professor di York University, Canada tahun 1991.

The Housing and Settlement KK, which was previously the CBC for the Built Environment Policy, together with the PPLH-ITB component, has organized a Masters in Rural Development Management education program. This program can then be developed into a program multi-disciplinary studies and research that is more structured at the ITB level. Explorations have been carried out to find a relevant platform for program objectives that are very useful in responding to decentralization and regional autonomy policies in Indonesia.

In accordance with the department's vision and mission, the housing and settlement KK develops applied science with an interest in: (1) The process of planning and designing housing and settlement developments in urban and rural contexts. (2) The process of formulating policies for the development of the built environment and settlements that is community-based on a city and rural scale.