Jakarta: A city of cities

Abstract

Jakarta, Indonesia's primate city and the world's second largest urban agglomeration, is undergoing a deep transformation. A fresh city profile of Jakarta is long overdue, given that there have been major events and developments since the turn of the millennium (the Asian Financial crisis and decentralisation in Indonesia, among the most important), as well as the fact that the city is a living entity with its own processes to be examined. The inhabitants of the city have also taken centre stage now in these urban processes, including the recent pandemic COVID-19 response. Our paper profiles Jakarta heuristically in two cuts: presenting the city from conventional and academic perspectives of megacities like it, which includes contending with its negative perceptions, and more originally, observing the city from below by paying attention to the viewpoints of citizens and practitioners of the city. In doing so, we draw from history, geography, anthropology, sociology and political science as well as from our experience as researchers who are based in the region and have witnessed the transformation of this megacity from within, with the idea that the portrayal of the city is a project permanently under construction.

Highlights

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  It focuses on Indonesia’s primate city and the world’s second largest urban agglomeration;

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  Considering the work of Cybriwsky and Ford (2001) as the most recent one, the paper is meant to be a long overdue fresh city profile of Jakarta;

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  In their paper, the authors propose observing Jakarta as a living entity with its own processes to be examined;

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  The authors profile the Indonesian capital in two cuts: conventional perspectives of megacities like it, and more originally, observing the city from below through the viewpoints of its citizens and practitioners.

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  The profile draws from the social sciences as well as the authors’ experiences as researchers who are based in the region, with the idea that the portrayal of the city is a project permanently under construction.