The thesis focuses on urbanization processes in non-urban districts of Indonesia (kabupaten) and local government policies aimed at meeting the requirements of urbanization in their region while responding to the constraints of urbanization. The aim is to examine these Indonesian urban development policies in terms of their characteristics and strategies for addressing the problems caused by rapid territorial urbanization, particularly with regard to the prospects and imperatives of sustainable urban development conceived as a new development ethic.
More broadly, with reference to the situation of kabupaten in Indonesia, the thesis aims to contribute to the understanding of urban development mechanisms in small and medium-sized cities in developing countries.
The study has two main parts. The first concerns the urbanization process of the kabupaten, particularly on the island of Java, the most densely populated island in the archipelago and the first to experience, in the 1980s, this territorial dimension of urbanization, which led to an increase in the urban population of the kabupaten. Secondly, this study seeks to understand the main problems arising in the urbanization process of the kabupaten, particularly from the perspective of sustainable development.
Based on comparative elements resulting from the analysis of urban development institutions in the kabupaten, the aim was to compare local perceptions of urban development, the policies adopted to address problems, and the weaknesses of urban development policies at the local level.
In doing so, the research puts into perspective the conditions for a possible improvement in local capacities in the management of their urbanization and urban development processes, their alignment with local realities, and their adequacy in relation to sustainable development issues.
Keywords
: territorial urbanization, urban development management, small and medium-sized cities, decentralization, development policy, sustainable development, Indonesia, kabupaten, non-urban region
Thesis defense on December 13
, 2013
Jury
Charles Goldblum (supervisor), professor emeritus, Paris 8 University
Sabine Barles (supervisor), university professor (HDR), Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne University
Rodolphe de Koninck (rapporteur), full professor, CETASE, University of Montreal
Manuelle Franck (rapporteur), university professor (HDR), president of INALCO
Sylvy Jaglin (examiner), university professor, University of Paris-Est, Director of the City, Transportation, and Territories doctoral school