| Summary: | The purpose of this research is to explain the processes by which communities
develop their settlements outside of formal planning and regulatory frameworks in order
to recommend ways these processes could be improved. Drawing on empirical
evidence from the development processes of four 'kampung' or informal settlements
along the Code River in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, this research examines how, without
formal-legal status over their settlements, kampung people gained the resources and
security necessary to develop their settlements.
The research found that the success of particular kampung communities in
developing their settlements depends on the ability of kampung people to develop
informal-reciprocal relations with external agencies. Although kampung people enjoy
some forms of autonomy over the development process of their settlements and are able
to carry out significant improvements to their settlements, their position continues to be
weak. They are still very much dependent upon the assistance of the state and external
agencies. The nature of policy formulation and implementation in relation to kampung
problems is characterized by a fluid and reciprocal series of interrelations among many
individuals and agencies, within and outside government. In this context, formal laws
and regulations play a secondary role to informal-personal mechanisms. Patron-client
relations exist between government officials and kampung people, and these
relationships significantly determine the level of government support to each kampung.
Such mechanisms are inherently unfair, because only a few kampung people have the
capacity to take advantage of these mechanisms.
This study concludes that the Indonesian government needs to treat housing and
kampung issues as part of a broader social welfare policy and should create more
transparent and fairer mechanisms to guarantee equal opportunities for access to urban
resources and decision making processes. This study argues that kampung people and
their local institutions, the RT and RW, have a potential for playing more active roles
in the dynamic process of urban and housing development. This study suggests ways in
which kampung people could be further empowered and calls for more active
involvement of intermediary agencies, such as NGOs and other voluntary organizations,
to assist kampung people in mobilizing their resources and negotiating with other
parties. Finally, this study suggests that the government's approaches to the promotion
of more formalized and regulated urban and housing development should be carefully
re-examined in accordance with the social, cultural, and political contexts of Indonesian
society. === Applied Science, Faculty of === Community and Regional Planning (SCARP), School of === Graduate
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