Negotiating an urban form: The struggle of a concealed Kampung (Kampong) in a new city development

Since the Indonesian government opened the opportunity for private companies to engage in the housing provision in the 1980s, many new cities have grown tremendously. Unfortunately, the growth of these cities has been followed by the emergence of a phenomenon in which the role of these developers is very dominant in urban management. This paper seeks to reveal how indigenous people who live in a small kampung (kampong) are struggling for their existence vis-à-vis a capital power. The paper provides a case of the survival of Kampung Nagrek in West BSD City Tangerang, which lies about 25 km to the western part of Jakarta. While most people there are displaced, this kampung exists, even though the developer has tried to conceal its existence. Employing a qualitative method, we collected data through long and intensive engagement. This study found that the coercion of physical power and the coercive economic power of developer companies have failed to conquer the kampung dwellers. It is not by the counter of physical or economic means, but through a strong social relation that those people in a marginal position will have a chance of success in negotiating its urban form.