Land Conversion and Urban Development in the Northern Region of West Java, Indonesia

Abstract

This article examines the impacts of economic development on land conversion in the Northern Region of West Java (NRWJ) and discusses their implications for urban and regional development. The recent development of NRWJ has been triggered largely by domestic and foreign investment in the region, which has led to a tremendous increase in demand for land. Subsequently, prime agricultural land has been subdivided and converted into industrial estates and other urban land uses. Land conversion is basically a normal part of the urban development process, but in NRWJ it does reflect the land businesses carried out by large developers, which tend to be speculative in character. The study also discusses some land-related policy reforms which are needed to guide land conversion.