Critical analysis of smart city from an NGO’s perspective towards sustainable urban development : a case study of Indonesia’s new capital city
(2020) In Master Thesis Series in Environmental Studies and Sustainability Science MESM02 20201LUCSUS (Lund University Centre for Sustainability Studies)
- Abstract
- Urban establishment from scratch based on a smart city vision has been mainstreamed as a strategy to achieve urban sustainability goals. However, the smart city model itself has been criticized because of how the techno-centric solutions it uses could potentially lead to economic and social inequality. Urban Political Ecology (UPE) focuses on how the urban production process involve commodification of nature, causes environmental damage, and ignores social justice value. As a response, UPE encourages a dissensus approach to create an inclusive and environmentally sustainable urban development. Using UPE and the right to the city framework, this thesis critically analyzes the smart city concept and investigates socio-political dynamics... (More)
- Urban establishment from scratch based on a smart city vision has been mainstreamed as a strategy to achieve urban sustainability goals. However, the smart city model itself has been criticized because of how the techno-centric solutions it uses could potentially lead to economic and social inequality. Urban Political Ecology (UPE) focuses on how the urban production process involve commodification of nature, causes environmental damage, and ignores social justice value. As a response, UPE encourages a dissensus approach to create an inclusive and environmentally sustainable urban development. Using UPE and the right to the city framework, this thesis critically analyzes the smart city concept and investigates socio-political dynamics behind the urban production process from activists’ dissensus. It is based on a single case study analysis of Indonesia government’s plan to establish new country’s capital from scratch in East Kalimantan, which was opposed by local and national NGOs.
Findings show that the smart city being planned by the Indonesian government reflects a neoliberal smart city vision. Meanwhile, the new capital establishment is regarded by activists as a project driven by oligarch interests and that benefit large corporations. The project is also considered to lack transparency, ignore local and public voices, cause marginalization and reduce East Kalimantan’s environmental carrying capacity.
Construction of the new national capital does not guarantee the betterment of Jakarta’s socio-ecological condition and realization of a sustainable new capital city. Therefore, activists urge the government to cancel the project and focus on restoring Jakarta's condition instead.
My thesis reveals that civil society dissensus can potentially help sustainable urban development that is socially just and environmentally sustainable. Thus, the government and urban planners must take into account dissensus-based approach in the future city projects. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
http://lup.lub.lu.se/student-papers/record/9012589
- author
- Apriyani, Via LU
- supervisor
- organization
- course
- MESM02 20201
- year
- 2020
- type
- H2 - Master's Degree (Two Years)
- subject
- keywords
- Smart city, sustainable urban development, activists, urban political ecology, right to the city, sustainability science, new city establishment
- publication/series
- Master Thesis Series in Environmental Studies and Sustainability Science
- report number
- 2020:037
- funder
- Indonesia Endowment Fund for Education Scholarship (LPDP)
- language
- English
- additional info
- Thesis research sponsor: Indonesia Endowment Fund for Education Scholarship (LPDP)
- id
- 9012589
- date added to LUP
- 2020-06-08 09:53:04
- date last changed
- 2020-06-08 13:18:00
@misc{9012589,
abstract = {{Urban establishment from scratch based on a smart city vision has been mainstreamed as a strategy to achieve urban sustainability goals. However, the smart city model itself has been criticized because of how the techno-centric solutions it uses could potentially lead to economic and social inequality. Urban Political Ecology (UPE) focuses on how the urban production process involve commodification of nature, causes environmental damage, and ignores social justice value. As a response, UPE encourages a dissensus approach to create an inclusive and environmentally sustainable urban development. Using UPE and the right to the city framework, this thesis critically analyzes the smart city concept and investigates socio-political dynamics behind the urban production process from activists’ dissensus. It is based on a single case study analysis of Indonesia government’s plan to establish new country’s capital from scratch in East Kalimantan, which was opposed by local and national NGOs.
Findings show that the smart city being planned by the Indonesian government reflects a neoliberal smart city vision. Meanwhile, the new capital establishment is regarded by activists as a project driven by oligarch interests and that benefit large corporations. The project is also considered to lack transparency, ignore local and public voices, cause marginalization and reduce East Kalimantan’s environmental carrying capacity.
Construction of the new national capital does not guarantee the betterment of Jakarta’s socio-ecological condition and realization of a sustainable new capital city. Therefore, activists urge the government to cancel the project and focus on restoring Jakarta's condition instead.
My thesis reveals that civil society dissensus can potentially help sustainable urban development that is socially just and environmentally sustainable. Thus, the government and urban planners must take into account dissensus-based approach in the future city projects.}},
author = {{Apriyani, Via}},
language = {{eng}},
note = {{Student Paper}},
series = {{Master Thesis Series in Environmental Studies and Sustainability Science}},
title = {{Critical analysis of smart city from an NGO’s perspective towards sustainable urban development : a case study of Indonesia’s new capital city}},
year = {{2020}},
}