Gated communities in Indonesia
Section snippets
Introduction: gated communities – a new phenomenon?
When talking about gated communities one usually focuses on the US, where this “new” phenomenon comes from. But for people in Central Europe, who can still see the remains of walls and gates from the Middle Ages, or even antiquity, in their towns, it is evident that this phenomenon is not really new. In parts of Asia, people have much the same experience. When walking through Old Delhi, one can find gated communities with a longer history than any in the US that are still being inhabited. The
Background of gated communities in Southeast Asia
Although walls and fences surrounding living quarters are not new, the development, structure, organisation, and extent of today’s gated communities differ from their antecedents. They have been developed since the 1980s, and must be understood in the socio–economic and cultural context of this period.
Land and housing development in Indonesia
A prerequisite for new, gated communities is the opportunity for land development. For Jakarta, as in other cities, this is a necessity, since it can no longer provide enough space for all the immigrants. The main phase of land development around Jakarta did not start until approximately 20 years ago. Using Goldblum and Wong’s phrase, it is “haphazard urbanisation” (Goldblum and Wong, 2000). They state that “to a certain extent, [large property projects] development falls within the
Research methods
To learn more about the residents of modern gated communities in Indonesia, a survey was conducted in the new towns Lippo Karawaci and Bumi Serpong Damai, both located in the Tangerang district in the west of Jakarta. The survey was done between August and November 1999, using a standardised questionnaire in the Indonesian language. 754 residents in total were interviewed, each living in different quarters (taman). Since the study was focused on the life of middle class people, only middle
Discussion
Four main aspects determine the development of gated communities in Indonesia and Southeast Asia in general:
- 1.
The formerly fast economic development led to the development of a new middle and upper middle class. But since the wealth has not been spread equally, a further socio–economic polarisation is taking place, resulting in a growing income gap with growing jealousy and a growing need for security. In Indonesia, the jealousy of the pribumis is mainly directed against the Chinese, who thus
Acknowledgements
The author would like to thank the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) for the financial support of his research (project no. LE 1010/1-1 and LE 1010/1-2).
References (12)
Rural to urban land conversion in Indonesia during boom and bust periods
Land Use Policy
(2000)- et al.
Growth, crisis and spatial change: a study of haphazard urbanisation in Jakarta, Indonesia
Land Use Policy
(2000) - Abeyasekere, S (1989) Jakarta—A History, Singapore, Oxford University Press, New...
- Blakely, E J. and Snyder M G (1999) Fortress America—Gated Communities in the United States, 2nd edition, Brookings...
- Booth, A (1999) Die Wirtschaft Südostasiens: Auf dem Weg ins 21. Jahrhundert. In: Dahm, G and Ptak, R (Eds.)...
Land conversion and urban development in the northern region of West Java, Indonesia
Urban Studies
(1997)