Contribution short abstract:

This paper draws on “un/commoning” as an analytical device to explore the planning and construction of Indonesia’s new capital city and the processes of inclusion and, notably, exclusion that they generate.

Contribution long abstract:

Since the initial decision to move Indonesia’s seat of government to East Kalimantan was announced in August 2019, the new capital has been imagined as a smart, green, high-tech metropolis that is supposed to reflect national identity and prove Indonesia’s progress and commitment to environmental sustainability to the world. Joko Widodo, the former Indonesian president who was instrumental in driving the project forward, has developed a particularly strong vision of Nusantara, as an inclusive city, an open city and a city for all. Nusantara’s image as a city in which all social classes live side by side and have equal opportunities to participate in the development of this new metropolis stands in stark contrast to the criticism of the lack of public consultation and public participation which is voiced in East Kalimantan. Here, several local actors complain about exclusionary practices that have characterised planning, land acquisition and construction activities so far. Environmental organisations further express concerns as the construction of the city requires a considerable amount of natural resources and is thus likely to further extractivism in the area. In addition, the energy needs of Nusantara are to be covered by hydroelectric power plants in the hinterlands of East Kalimantan, the construction of which is already causing concerns about displacement and loss of land among the population in the upstream areas. In this paper we draw on “un/commoning” as an analytical device to explore the processes of inclusion and, notably, exclusion that the planning and construction of Nusantara generates.