Political contestation of public space on local community

Contestation of public space is now used as further option due to the lack of land availability caused by the increasing demand for space. The presence of a public space provides various benefits for social, economic and political lives in society. Politics in this study is about power in the micro-scale formed by local actors. The space is used by local actors who have certain interest which cause a conflict of space or contestation for the existence of social identity. Banjir Kanal Timur (BKT) is one of the public space that is contested by several actors such as government, street vendor and ruler figures. The purpose of this research is to see how local actors use results from space contestation for their interests’, especially in maintaining social identity from existence, extending their territory, and exploiting available resources. This is a qualitative research which use field observations, in-depth interview, and description analysis. The results show that political space in Banjir Kanal Timur not only marked from the activities and matters but also communication. This condition gives birth to negotiation, space formation, and deals in it. Banjir Kanal Timur divided into several zones that have their rulers.