Hafid Setiadi

This article examines how hydrological extremes unfold at the local level and interact with socio-spatial inequality, focusing on recurrent flooding in West Java, Indonesia. In doing so, it contributes to a more nuanced understanding of how marginalized communities navigate and reshape unequal hydrosocial relations in urban contexts of the Global South. Drawing on qualitative fieldwork in the kampung (urban village) of Andir – a densely populated settlement in the Bandung Basin, often referred to as the ‘bottom of the bowl’ – we analyse how flooding is co-produced through state-led management strategies that prioritize large-scale infrastructural interventions and downstream protection, often at the expense of upstream communities. The aim is to analyse how people in Andir experience and cope with flooding events through social practices and political action. Bringing together literature on hydrosocial geographies and the concept of prefigurative politics, we show how residents respond to these conditions through collective action and community-based adaptation strategies. In particular, we identify three possibilities for prefigurative politics that emerge through grassroots action in Andir: community-led infrastructural interventions (e.g. improving local drainage systems), the creation of participatory discussion spaces such as ngobrol pintar, and the promotion of more care-full and relational understandings of the river. We argue that these actions not only address immediate flooding risks but also create spaces of empowerment by fostering collective identities and opening up political possibilities. In this way, they prefigure alternative socio-environmental futures while actively reshaping hydrosocial relations in the present.

The development of Madiun from 1900 to the 2000s was shaped by political, economic and infrastructure changes that influenced its urban structure. This research examines the city's transformation from the colonial (1990-1945) to the reform era (1998-now), focusing on the relationship between accessibility and the growth of new economic centres. Although previous studies have explored its development, they lack insights into this specific connection. Using a spatial and diachronic approach, the study analyses road networks, economic centres and urban structures using historical maps, together with journals, field surveys and satellite imagery. The data were processed in several stages: (1) georeferencing and digitising of the historical maps to align with contemporary spatial data; (2) mapping of road networks and economic centres using GIS-based network analysis; (3) land use classification and detection of changes from satellite imagery; and (4) validation of the results through field surveys at key locations. These steps, undertaken with the use of ArcGIS Pro, produced diachronic maps detailing urban changes and the spatial relationship between accessibility and economic growth. The findings reveal that accessibility, particularly through transportation networks, has been a key driver of new economic centres. Areas with high accessibility tend to host diverse and intensive economic activities. These centres have a significant influence on Madiun’s urban structure, with agricultural land decreasing from 47.01% in 1984 to 34.57% in 2024, while built-up areas, including residential zones, expanded from 52.99% to 65.43%. The expansion of residential areas, which reached 57.5% during the reform era, indicates a major shift in land use, driven by accessibility and economic growth. The centres also have a strong influence on Madiun's urban structure, with a transition from agriculture to residential, commercial and industrial functions. The research highlights the role of transportation infrastructure in shaping economic development and urban adaptation. It contributes valuable insights into the interplay between accessibility and economic centres, offering a reference for future urban planning to help foster sustainable growth in cities such as Madiun.

This study aimed to explore urban influences on a highland village as a node in an urban network. The discussion focused on altering the settlement situation and the life of villagers, who were dominated by vegetable farming. The analysis was inspired by Doxiadis’s premises concerning human efforts to maximize contact with nature efficiently to fulfill living needs. A descriptive qualitative method was adopted with data collected through interviews, observation, and mapping. The interviews were conducted in two stages, including semi-structured interviews with 90 household respondents and in-depth sessions with three key informants. To ensure the quality and accuracy of the data, source and method triangulation was applied by systematically comparing information obtained from household interviews, in-depth interviews with key informants, and field observations. Based on the results, the life atmosphere of the village was becoming increasingly urban. Urban-oriented nicknames further evolved for certain places, reflecting the villagers’ new spatial mindset. Primordial spaces were also transformed into modernity, guided by economic logic and proximity to major cities through the main road. Therefore, the functional relationship between villagers and nature had diminished. Urban practices were not fully prominent as urbanization was an aspect that villagers sensed, imagined, and perhaps even anticipated.Received: 2025-03-16 Revised: 2025-12-17 Accepted: 2026-03-12 Published: 2026-04-29

An agrarian reform program encompassing asset and access arrangement was implemented to address the inequality in land ownership. Furthermore, asset management and access management models are integrated in the same location to increase the effectiveness of the agrarian reform program. As a pilot project, the first Kampung Reforma Agraria (KRA) was implemented in Mekarsari Village, Panimbang District, Pandeglang Regency, by distributing land to 225 subjects. However, after five years of implementing agrarian reform, some subjects still have not occupied KRA locations. This condition indicates that some subjects are reluctant to live in the designated location. Therefore, this research aims to analyze the profile and characteristics of TORA subjects’ residences who have yet to occupy the land granted in the KRA and the influence of these two factors on their spatial preferences regarding agrarian reform policies. By interviewing 23 TORA subjects who had yet to occupy the Tanah Objek Reforma Agraria (TORA) location and transfer their land rights, the results show that 52.5% wanted to move to KRA. In contrast, 47.5% did not want to occupy their land in KRA. Based on the analysis of the physical characteristics of the TORA subjects’ residences, the relationship between the physical distance from the subject’s current residence to KRA and the subject’s preference to move to KRA was not very significant. The factors most influencing the subject’s preferences are the residence’s non-physical characteristics, the land’s current legal status, and the socio-economic profile. Based on these findings, policymakers responsible for setting the criteria for land recipients should enhance the supervision system for subject selection from the outset. Furthermore, when designing access provision programs, it is essential to account for the diverse preferences and needs of each subject group. Keywords: Agrarian Reform; Access Arrangement; Asset Arrangement; Kampung Reforma Agraria; Spatial Preferences.

The objective of this study was to examine the relationship between capitalization and rural transformation. By conducting a study in the Ciwidey Highlands of West Java, this study focused on the development of tourism as a path for capital flow that is directly connected with the existence of agricultural land and the livelihoods of the population as farmers. These two aspects are key elements in reviewing rural transformation. The data for this study were obtained through field observation at fourteen locations of agricultural land and a questionnaire survey distributed among ninety tourism workers. Through map interpretation and descriptive analysis, the results of this study show the impact of capitalization through tourism development in the increasing economic value of land, which results in the desire of farmers to sell their agricultural land. This impact was also seen in the shift in livelihoods. Rural capitalization through tourism investment has a significant impact on livelihoods, land tenure, and land use.

Agriculture is one of the important sectors for economic development in West Java. Unfortunately, agricultural land continues to decrease. This trend is also seen in the Ciwidey Agropolitan Area, Bandung. Horticultural farmers are forced to manage crops on a narrow land. The purpose of this study is to explain the spatial relationship between horticultural patterns and household welfare in Rancabali District, which is part of Ciwidey Agropolitan Area. This study is a descriptive study using map interpretation and cross tabulation. Data comes from systematic interview, field observation, and secondary sources. For analysis purposes, this study uses land conditions and accessibility as a spatial framework. The results show that most of the horticultural farming is a monoculture that is cultivated independently by farmers without involving labor. Labor involvement is only found on agricultural lands with a lower accessibility. This spatial pattern is closely related to the welfare of farmers. The better the accessibility, the higher the welfare of the farmer household. However, in areas with a lower accessibility, the level of welfare will only increase if they have a more spacious land.

Experts from various perspectives have widely reviewed the patterns, processes, reasons, and impacts of paddy field conversion. However, most of these reviews tend to understand paddy fields from the physical-material dimension. By using the perspective of contemporary geography, this paper provides a critical conceptual overview of the conversion of paddy fields through the elaboration of human-nature dialectic as a central theme in the discipline of geography. The dialectic also contains identity, spatial awareness, and spatial-symbolic order issues that affect the existence of farmers and their paddy fields. This critical review results in the argument that the relationship between farmers and paddy fields represents a spatial-symbolic order that contains values, enthusiasm, identity, and living traditions. The identity and existence of farmers are part of the existence of paddy fields. Paddy fields have become part of the minds and consciousness of the farmers. The conversion of paddy fields will reduce the eco-cultural relations in this order and replace it with a capitalistic system.Keywords: contemporary geography, human-nature dialectic, paddy field conversion, spatial-symbolic order, sustainable agriculture

Discussion of Islamization is not only associated with the spread of religious values but also related to the activity of trade and the opening of the new lands. In Java, all three of these themes have occurred simultaneously and then experienced rapid development since the 15th century. During the 15th and 17th centuries, many Islamic kingdoms rose and fell by turns with variuos ideology and their economic and political motives. As a result, Java experienced a complex of territorialization. By a spatial-historical approach, this article shows how territorialization affects the fashion of the emergence and collapse of the cities in Java. The spatial dynamics of urban growth reflected changes in political space production run by each ruling actor. The city played a significant role as a symbol and an identity of the political power of the dominant regime.

Season changes influenced the fishers’ job. Their economic life is not stable. Therefore, fishers in Indonesia, especially in Java Island, also cultivate the land. Whenever their area has good access, they have more than two types of job. Sanggrawayang village in Sukabumi District is a fishing village whose fishers earn its income from farming as well. Since 2016, dwellers also have begun working in the service sector, namely services related to tourism activities. This study tries to find out the fishing activities sustainability by using Sustainability Livelihood Approach. By conducting semi-structured interviews with 20 fishers, we can classify the fishermen into three groups, namely fisher laborers, individual fishers, and fishers that own business. Most of the residents are labor fishermen. The result showed that with limited financial and working capital, laborers had more types of work. Their strategy to maintain fishers’ activities is by developing themselves in the services field, both related to fishermen and agricultural activities, as well as in the tourism sector. While fishery business owner who have high financial capital, significant working capital, and extensive networks, are more focused on working in the fishermen sector. Expansion of work in fishermen is carried out by business owner by renting boats and expanding fishing activities by acting as a middle person and distributors as well. The government program is needed to maintain the fishermen smallholder livelihood. This program is designed to be in line with the culture of fishers in Sukabumi.