Community Struggles for Land in Jakarta

In Jakarta, informal settlements (kampung) have provided access to urban land and housing for a large part of the population. Some kampung settlements have been integrated as part of the city through the granting of administrative status. However, for residents in particular kampung settlements continuing to live in their kampung has been a struggle because of the constraints imposed on them by the state. The fall of the New Order government in May 1998 marked the beginning of the reformasi era, and with it new hope for better governance and democracy. Nevertheless, there seems to be a growing movement of kampung communities led by NGOs struggling for their rights to the city. This book is concerned with the struggles of kampung communitieshow they have evolved under the changing social and political changes in the Reformasi era. It shows that the kampung communities'' claims to land were essential in gaining their social rights as citizens, and that the success of the outcomes depended on their ability to seize political opportunities.