Jakarta as a capital has experienced multiple urban problems ranging from environmental to economic to population density. At present, Jakarta has become the national and regional epicenter. It is a commercial hub for the bustling Southeast Asia region, one of the most rapidly developing regions in the world, connecting industry, services, technology, leisure and entertainment around the globe.
Amid these urbanized celebrations, and the devastation as well, the government seems to be surrendering to Jakarta’s uncontrollable development. Therefore in 2019, Joko Widodo, the president of the Republic of Indonesia, made a monumental announcement: The province of Kalimantan Timur would be the future capital.The Indonesian government only needed less than two years with the legal formal framework of the new capital city.
It is important to note that the location of the new capital city has always been inhabited, despite its frontier status. People have lived and developed a meaningful connection with the surrounding environment for generations. Nonetheless, as the construction of Nusantara Capital City progresses, the impacts on the surrounding community intensify gradually. The development of the new capital city has physical, ecological, and socio-economic consequences that directly affect the local space and place.
The space and place surrounding Nusantara Capital City have been shaped by human interventions and exploitations. This area boasts abundant natural resources such as coal, timber, oil, and, most notably, land. The government chose this area primarily for its vast land resources, in addition toconsidering issues related to disaster risk and economics. We have found that people, space, and place are interwoven in an intricate sphere, constantly configuring and reconfiguring between one and another. In this interaction, individuals are tethered to the ecological, historical, and political setting of the area. From these circumstances, several classifications arise, such as transmigrants, migrants, and Indigenous communities.