Forced evictions, spatial (un)certainties and the making of exemplary centres in Indonesia

Abstract

This article considers the relationship between forced evictions and the ‘exemplary centre’ through an examination of three urban waterfront sites in Indonesia in comparative perspective. How is the notion of the ‘exemplary centre’ related to forced evictions and the aspirations of marginalised populations in contemporary cities of Indonesia? What are the chances of asserting alternative ideologies when a capital‐centric and modernist vision of the city as ‘exemplary centre’ dominates official planning paradigms? Competing visions of the ‘exemplary centre’ arise from distinct centres of power, from the state level to the grassroots community level; however, the dominant state vision of urban space is often internalised by those most at risk of displacement by modernist projects. Strategies to thwart forced evictions in riverbank settlements in Jakarta, Solo, and Surabaya offer alternative imaginings of the ‘exemplary centre’ – imaginings that enable the urban poor to visualise their hopes and to overcome the spatial uncertainties that characterise their everyday lives. While these efforts indicate resistance to marginalisation, they also provide a distinct kind of ‘exemplary’ vision based on residents’ own understanding of ideal city living. Concurrently, some alignment to existing ‘exemplary centre’ narratives is traceable in the effort to assert these alternatives.

Jakarta: A city of cities

“…Precipitation is more intense in the winter months, between December to March. This close relationship between city and water as well as climate is often obscured by dominant political narratives of flooding being caused by communities living on the riverbanks ( Padawangi, 2019 ). The mitigating solutions mainly involve reclamation projects ( Puspa, 2019 ) and/or moving people away (sometimes through forced evictions) from the riverbanks to widen and deepen the city's rivers ( Van Voorst & Padawangi, 2015 ).…”

“…There is increasing concern with whether this participatory and community-based planning is being integrated into official mainstream planning ( Padawangi, 2019 ). Some of the major challenges for involvement in participatory budgeting include access to information to identify the needs and priorities of the community, and about the process of participatory budgeting - what happens to the proposals made by citizens, and whether they are being responded to, implemented, or can be monitored (accountability) ( Feruglio & Rifai, 2017 ).…”

“…It has been argued that this practice of spatial production has allowed the cost of providing these public goods to be externalised to communities and residents in terms of resources and time to meet dominant urban imaginaries ( UN HRC, 2013 ). Propagated by authorities, improving living conditions on their own initiative is increasingly being practised (and internalised) by marginalised residents as a way of being and belonging to the city; yet the spatial uncertainties faced by the marginalised who rely on these spaces for residing and working have not been much ameliorated ( Padawangi, 2019 ).…”

The Uncertainty Contagion: Revealing the Interrelated, Cascading Uncertainties of Managed Retreat

“…Other typologies highlight the difference between fields of uncertainty. These include, for instance, geopolitical, financial, institutional, spatial, strategic, and climate change uncertainty [27,[45][46][47][48][49][50]. With particular relevance for managed retreat, Walker, et al [51] point out that decision-making associated with the distant future is beset by uncertainties that cannot be reduced by information gathering and statistical analysis.…”

Social innovation in times of flood and eviction crisis: The making and unmaking of homes in the Ciliwung riverbank, Jakarta

“…In many other big cities in Indonesia, riverbank areas have typically been sites where marginalization occurs as a result of ‘spatial uncertainties’ specifically the inability of the riverbank dwellers to secure spaces in the context of dominant urban aspirations for improvement and development (Padawangi, 2019). Many underprivileged groups end up residing in irregular kampung settlements along a river for access to basic sanitation, transportation, and livelihoods, claiming space in the city amidst the uncertainties of everyday life (Hellman & van Voorst, 2018; Simone & Rao, 2012).…”