This paper examines the importance of a comprehensive study of various disciplines in
architectural design. It highlights historical studies as a method in the design process to approach
factual conditions and problems in urban spaces. History is a critical lens that stores the layers of
space that have shaped the city over a long period, as in Asian and African countries, whose past
backgrounds were colonies. For centuries, cities have been working as the frame and directing
the movement of society under the colonial ruler. Urban patterns and the forces that settle need
attention to explore the potential and relationships that grow and have created engagement
between people and the surrounding space. This study examines architecture student practice in
design projects in downtown Jakarta. The paper identifies four stages in the design process that
involve history and provide opportunities for further analysis of the city's sustainability. It shows
that sustainability in architecture is an attempt to dig deeper into the roots that bind society and
to look further into the identities in developing the urban space.