LANDAC Conference: Two Sessions on Land Governance and Urban Development from the Forest City Team

The LANDAC conference featured two sessions organized by the following frontiers of the forest city team, addressing critical aspects of land governance and urban development in Indonesia, bringing together leading researchers and practitioners from multiple universities and institutions.

Session 1: Shaping Collaboration in Transdisciplinary Research Projects Organized by Ari Susanti (Universitas Gadjah Mada) and Femke van Noorloos (Utrecht University), this roundtable session explored how transdisciplinary research can advance just land governance agendas. The discussion focused on fostering effective collaboration across disciplines, recognizing that land governance issues intersect with environmental science, social justice, economics, and policy-making. Participants engaged in dynamic conversations about integrating different knowledge systems, addressing cultural differences among stakeholders, and learning from past experiences to inform future collaborative research projects. The session brought together distinguished experts including Forest city project leads Prof. dr. Kei Otsuki (Utrecht University), Prof. dr. Rijanta (Universitas Gadjah Mada).

Session 2: Urban Land and (Im)Mobilities in Indonesia This workshop, organized by Prof. dr. Kei Otsuki (Utrecht University), Prof. dr. Rijanta (Gadjah Mada University) and Forest city PhD candidate Vandy Swara, examined the complex dynamics surrounding Indonesia’s new capital city Nusantara in East Kalimantan. The session analyzed various mobilities—of people, materials, and capital—that are reshaping the region as the capital moves from Jakarta. Participants explored how different migrant groups have historically shaped the society, while new flows of construction workers, business seekers, and government officials create fresh dynamics. The workshop also addressed how massive construction material and capital mobilization affects urban land development in areas with existing land claims from palm oil plantations, coal mining, and industrial forestry, while indigenous communities struggle to maintain their land rights and traditional ways of living.

Both sessions demonstrated the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration in addressing Indonesia’s complex land governance challenges and urban development transformations.