[FKP hosted by ANU Indonesia Project] Book launch: Governing urban Indonesia

“Governing Urban Indonesia”. Book launch hosted by the ANU Indonesia Project and the Faculty of Social and Political Sciences, Universitas Gadjah Mada Friday, November 15th 2024.

Despite Indonesia’s transformation into a predominantly urban society, rapid urbanization has introduced a host of persistent challenges, including severe traffic congestion, housing shortages, air pollution, and waste management inefficiencies. These issues underscore the need for stronger urban governance to address the growing demands of urban dwellers. The political and social inequalities nationwide exacerbate the challenges in providing equitable and sustainable urban services. The 40th Indonesia Update conference, convened in September 2023, assembled specialists to examine the politics of Indonesian urban governance.

The papers presented at the conference have been published into the book Governing Urban Indonesia, edited by Edward Aspinall (Australian National University) and Amalinda Savirani (Universitas Gadjah Mada). This extensive volume features 14 chapters authored by 19 scholars, providing a diverse and thorough examination of the complexities and challenges tied to Indonesia’s urbanization journey.

On Friday, 15 November 2024, the Faculty of Social and Political Sciences Universitas Gadjah Mada (FISIPOL UGM) and the ANU Indonesia Project collaboratively launched Governing Urban Indonesia. The launch began with opening remarks from Wawan Mas’udi, Dean of FISIPOL UGM, and Budy P. Resosudarmo, Head of the ANU Indonesia Project. Dean Masudi highlighted the timeliness and importance of the book, noting its role in bridging academic research with practical governance, stating, “As urbanization accelerates in Indonesia, this book provides a much-needed lens to analyze the transformations and challenges facing our cities.”

Amalinda Savirani moderated the panel discussion featuring Meirina Ayumi Malamassam (BRIN) the author of Chapter 3, which examines Indonesia’s urbanization trends; Sonia Roitman (University of Queensland) who authored Chapter 4, offering a comparative lens on urbanization in the Global South; and Nur Azizah (FISIPOL UGM), who wrote about Surabaya’s innovative waste management reforms in Chapter 10. Finally, Yuli Kusworo (Arkom Institute) contributed as a discussant, bringing critical insights on the housing crisis in Indonesia with a focus on affordable housing challenges and community-based solutions. Together, the panelists delivered a comprehensive and multidimensional analysis, highlighting the book’s interdisciplinary approach.

In her presentation on Chapter 3, Meirina Ayumi Malamassam examined Indonesia’s urbanization trends, indicating that the reclassification of rural areas to urban status has been the principal catalyst for urban population growth over the previous decade, rather than migration. This situation is especially pronounced in Java, which is now nearly entirely urbanized. Ayumi presented the notion of “urbanization without growth,” emphasizing a significant disparity between swift urban development and economic advancement. She highlighted the sustainability issues presented by this trend, especially in regions where infrastructure and economic prospects are deficient relative to their newly assigned urban designation.

Building on the theme of urban governance, Chapter 10 by Nur Azizah showcased Surabaya’s waste management system as a leading example of effective practices. She detailed how the city successfully manages approximately 1,500 tons of waste daily out of a total production of 2,000 tons, relying on innovative strategies and active community engagement. Azizah outlined three key pillars of Surabaya’s approach, including state-driven initiatives like material recovery facilities (MRFs) and advanced waste compactors, which have significantly improved efficiency. She also presented Surabaya’s transformation of a former landfill into “Taman Harmoni,” a public garden powered by methane gas harvested from the site, symbolizing sustainable innovation. In emphasizing these accomplishments, she also acknowledged problems including procurement complications and transparency issues in waste-to-energy initiatives, underscoring the necessity for ongoing enhancements to maintain progress.

Complementing these perspectives, Chapter 4 by Sonia Roitman offered a comparative analysis of urbanization in the Global South, with a focus on Indonesia’s distinct urban dynamics shaped by informality. Sonia emphasized the crucial role of grassroots movements such as Rujak, Arkom, and Kalijawi in addressing urban challenges where formal governance falls short. These initiatives showcase the effectiveness of bottom-up, community-led solutions. However, Sonia cautioned against uncritically replicating models like Surabaya’s waste management in cities with differing socio-political contexts. She advocated for context-specific strategies that balance the creativity of informal approaches with structured governance frameworks. Her insights highlighted the importance of collective action and active citizen participation in developing sustainable, locally tailored urban solutions.

Ultimately, Yuli Kusworo from the Arkom Institute emphasized the affordable housing dilemma resulting from rapid urbanization and escalating land costs. He disclosed that governmental initiatives frequently inadequately address the requirements of low-income areas, compelling many to depend on informal settlements. Yuli underscored the necessity for inclusive policies that involve local people in developing community-based solutions, notwithstanding ongoing constraints such as bureaucracy, constrained financing, and inadequate legal protections.

During the Q&A session, Professor Bakti Setiawan (Department of Architecture and Planning, Universitas Gadjah Mada) raised a thought-provoking question about the feasibility of replicating Surabaya’s waste management success in cities with weaker governance structures or less civic engagement. Nur Azizah responded by stressing that while Surabaya’s framework can provide valuable insights, successful implementation requires careful adaptation to each city’s unique context and challenges. Complementing this, Meirina Malamassam underlined the critical role of data-driven policies in tailoring interventions to address specific local issues.

The book’s editor, Edward Aspinall ended the book launch by emphasizing the collaborative ethos behind Governing Urban Indonesia, expressing gratitude to contributors, organizers, and attendees for their contributions to the book and talks. He highlighted the book’s examination of the political processes inherent in metropolitan governance, noting instances such as Surabaya’s achievement in mitigating vested interests via robust coalitions between political leaders and civil society. Aspinall urged readers to thoroughly interact with the book, which amalgamates political analysis with urban studies, providing insights into the challenges and prospects of urbanization in Indonesia. In conclusion, he conveyed hope on the ongoing dialogue and study on urban government, encouraging the audience to expand upon the book’s contributions to shape Indonesia’s urban future.

About 60 people attended the launch in person, while 139 people watched it online on Zoom and YouTube. Thirty lucky attendees received E-Money free as part of their active participation in the discussion.