Abstract
Indonesia is experiencing rapid economic growth in recent years, with significant infrastructure development as one of the priorities of the government. Due to its large size and population, the social and economic conditions may differ from one region to another. The local community is the most affected group from the spatial planning as part of the infrastructure development. Therefore, the inclusion of citizens’ participation in spatial planning is crucial. Participatory spatial planning is defined by Tore Sager (2015) as a certain phase of the planning process where the local citizens provide inputs and advice to planners and elected representatives, which is needed to develop not only an orderly and beautiful city, but also a city that fulfils the needs of the society. Inclusivity has been institutionalized within the Indonesian law and regulation framework through the notion of ‘Public Participation in Spatial Planning’ since 1992, although the detail was set thereafter in 2010 in the Government Regulation Number 68 Year 2010. However, some challenges persisted in the varied level of participation due to different socio-economic background, education level, and language, among others. The pandemic has undoubtedly exacerbated these challenges, mainly due to the limited mobilization and use of digital technology in remote areas. These issues caused the public participation in spatial planning to be less optimal and hinder the inclusivity of the local community within the planning process. This paper aims to assess different case studies of infrastructure projects, namely Ibu Kota Negara (new capital city of Indonesia) Masterplan, Balongan Masterplan, and Kertajati Airport Master Plan, through comparative analysis. These projects are included in Indonesia’s National Strategic Projects and conducted through participatory planning with different methods and tools. The assessment will include, but not limited to methods mentioned by Hoefsloot and van den Berg (1998) such as the process of defining and perceiving problems, negotiation and mediation between stakeholders, the cost taken to meet the requirements, and how much the result could fulfill the initial goal and solve the problem. The result of this analysis will elaborate to what extent the participatory planning can be regarded as successful. It then gives recommendations for future participatory planning.
