Political Dilemma of Spatial Planning in Urban Areas

 Political Dilemma of Spatial Planning in Urban Areas

The analysis of urban economic and political development has situated the city as an essential growth machine since 1970 (Molotch,1976). The growth machine theory assumes elite groups control that urban growth with land-based interests. The elite is the political elite represented by the city government and the economic elite represented by private developers/investors. To realize this interest, they have converted the land into a property that has added value. This kind of situation can occur with coalitions woven by city governments and developers (Logan, 1987). Along with socio-economic and political changes, cities are not only a growth machine but also have impacts and problems for social ecology and ecology itself. The Surabaya city government (Pemkot Surabaya) runs a coalition with the private sector (developer/ investor). Based on BPS 2016 data, the area of Surabaya in 2016 was 326.81 km2 and the population until the end of August 2017 was 3.057.766 people (Dispendukcapil Surabaya) (BPS,2016). Infrastructure development, both housing, factories and social facilities are all intended to serve the needs of the population. Therefore, changing land use is a problem that arises from the coalition. Fertile agricultural lands have shrunk in the past four years to 300 hectares with changes in agricultural land use to roads and housing (Putra, 2016). 



These lands have turned into real estates, apartments, and commercial public spaces (such as plazas and malls). Which means development is in a policy dilemma. Development does not always run within the corridors of spatial regulation; thus, changes in land use mean changes in spatial aspects that lead to a not pro-ecological development. The ecological crisis can trigger conflict between the community and the community, the community and the investors, the community and the government, and it can even trigger conflict among governments. That happened between Batu City and Malang City (n.n, 2017). The city faces several problems such as traffic congestion, a land conversion that causes flooding in the rainy season, and the problem of garbage and pollution since 2013 (abouturban, 2016). The development of the cities in the West and East Surabaya is immensely rapid, resulting in many land use changes. In East Surabaya which has 1.252.101.121 m2 area with 30.224.700.82 m2 land use area change by 0.3244 m2. Significant changes in land use occur from the fish hatchery to the asphalt road and rice fields, vacant land, freshwater ponds, densely populated to luxury settlements, trade services (BPS, 2015). 

Many developers are waiting in line to get a building permit from the Surabaya city government to build apartments, shop house, and malls.1 That happened because the Surabaya city government built the Surabaya Outer Ring Road (SORR) along 19.8 kilometers targeted for completion in 2018. This context cannot separate from the conflicting interest between government elites and economic elites (developers/investors) and society versus society. Conflicts about land and spatial planning are understood as an area to express the interests of several land-based political and economic elites. Economic elites who act as developers and investors intensify land by buying land owned by residents to further coalition with Surabaya city government to acquire land. Land acquisition for infrastructure development and settlements, trade, industrial/service areas are not in contradiction with the city government development policy in the Surabaya City Spatial Plan 2014-2034. Political and economic elite shares interests above its land/soil. The competition happens amongst the financial elites who control the land with elites who control other areas, and so do the people who have rice fields. Private investors/developers own land ownership in Surabaya. 


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