Rudy Parluhutan Tambunan’s research while affiliated with University of Indonesia and other places

The transition of North Maluku Province's capital city from Ternate to Sofifi in Halmahera Island is expected to spawn a new growth center. However, the development and expansion of urban areas in Sofifi reflect significant land cover transformation. This process is shaped by complex interactions influenced by the island’s geographical context and limited environmental carrying capacity. To ensure the sustainability of urban growth dynamics in Sofifi, this study aims (1) identify and analyze the spatiotemporal dynamics of land cover transformation from 1995 to 2020 in Sofifi and (2) analyze the growth pattern of urban expansion in Sofifi. This study employed multitemporal Landsat imageries within the 1995 to 2020 period with supervised classification using the CaRT classifier in Google Earth Engine and the NDBI maps to calculate the urban expansion rate and intensity index. The multitemporal analysis shows the rapid transformation of vegetation cover into built-up areas, especially in the 2010–2015 periods, which gradually developed from coastal areas towards inland following the development of road networks and government offices. The spatial expansion index shows the average urban growth in Sofifi from 1995 to 2020 is about 28.61%. This study reveals that the transformation of Sofifi land cover is shifting the vegetation cover to the built-up area by 967 hectares (27.61% of the Sofifi Area) from 1990 to 2020. Parallelly, urban expansion happens in stages. Moreover, this research advances the understanding of how land cover transformation and urban expansion happened in the island cities, particularly in the Indonesian context.

This study is about understanding how the values of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are integrated into regional development strategies in Indonesia. The aim of this research is to analyze the connection between the principles of the SDGs and elements of regional development. Data collection was conducted using the secondary data of SDG success indicators from 17 provinces in Indonesia, which were combined with the vision, mission, and regional development programs in the Regional Development Plan (RDP). We applied a content analysis of political, legal, fiscal, and administrative arrangements in the concept of localizing the SDGs. As a country that upholds the principle of autonomy and has committed to localizing the SDGs, Indonesia appears unable to promote sustainable development in the context of regional development strategies. Economic elements and governance remain the main paradigms of regional development. The very broad dimensions of sustainable development with limited resources mean that the regional development’s focus can only cover a small part of the SDGs. Therefore, multiparty support is crucial to strengthening the nuances of the SDGs in regional development strategies and localizing the norm of the SDGs is very important to strengthening the achievement of the SDGs in regional development.

Tourism is one of a region’s most prominent development vehicles. However, quality tourism is only achieved when supported by multi-sectors. This study aims to create a model of sustainable tourism management using a system dynamics approach. The model is based on the tourism development case in Labuan Bajo, a newly growing destination in Indonesia and a UNESCO Komodo biosphere reserve area. The research results in a model of sustainable tourism relevant to similar destinations with characteristics of high biodiversity but vulnerable to social inequality. This research finds it is critical to balance tourism growth and impact through the environment, economy, and social aspects and how destination management shall ensure multi-sector participation to create a conducive tourism ecosystem in the long run.

The narrative of “Jakarta is sinking!” has grown louder following the seasonal flood events over the past few years. What makes the case interesting is that the actual shape of land subsidence is growing fastest at around 20 cm per year in the northwest area, which is dominated by housing and settlements rather than commercial buildings and industries. This study aims to provide an academic explanation of the land subsidence phenomenon from the perspective of historical institutionalism. Applying spatial analysis and documentary reviews, we discussed the relationship between policy directions and land subsidence forms over decades. This paper found that spatial policy which have been pushed the urbanization in north Jakarta has contributed a more significant impact on land subsidence. The inability of government policy to address groundwater utilization both from the settlements and industries with the provisioning of access to safe water, emerged as one of the most significant factors triggering land subsidence.

Small islands possess the main character, namely limited land resources; thus, their development must pay attention to the land's capability to support life. Sulabesi is one of the small islands located in the North Maluku Islands with a very low to very high level of land capability. As a small island and center of activity, it faces several problems, including population growth, land availability, and vulnerability to natural disasters. The study aimed to assess the suitability of land capability with land cover and disaster risk and provide direction for the development. Additionally, it employed an overlap analysis method using the ArcGIS 10.5 tool with spatial data, namely land capability and disaster risk, and land cover changes from Landsat 7 & 8 satellite imagery throughout 2000, 2010, and 2020. The research finding denoted that Sulabesi Island continues to experience changes in land cover, particularly the increase in built-up land for 20 years. These changes were then spread over the land capability of class A and class B development capability characteristics of 280.46 ha. Furthermore, the suitability between land capability and disaster risk areas was also observable in classes A, B, and C, with the risk of tsunamis, earthquakes, and landslides. Thus, efforts to manage sustainable land use, mainly built-up lands, must be directed at the capability of land with a very high - medium development classification and free from disaster risk. It can be a reference for future research in developing small islands that are more resilient.

Sulabesi Island, as a small island, is faced with challenges in developing road infrastructure to facilitate community mobility, especially to meet their settlements’ needs. With most settlements located on the coast, this study aims to analyze the road network’s density level based on the building distribution and plan settlements based on connectivity between regions. The method used is a road network density (ND) analysis using ArcGIS 10.5 software. The analysis results show that the density level of the Sulabesi Island road network is still low and only concentrated in one area, Sanana District. There are still unfinished road and bridge network constructions in other areas, so some areas are not yet connected. This condition causes connectivity between regions to be low, and community mobility becomes difficult, especially to meet their basic needs, including distributing their harvests. Even with a road network that cannot connect between regions, it can increase the isolation of a settlement. From this research, it can be a description of the characteristics of settlements on small islands from the aspect of land transportation.

With limited land availability, the land use and management on the small island must be sustainable. Sulabesi Island, with an area of <2000 km², makes it one of the small islands in North Maluku and a remote island. This condition makes Sulabesi vulnerable to land loss and faced with adverse threats both environmentally and socio-economically if the allocation of residential places does not manage appropriately. The study aimed to identify the distribution of coastal settlement land with the characteristics of the island landscape, including analyzing its suitability to coastal boundaries and recommending directions for the development of coastal settlements on Sulabesi island. The method of this study used the geographic information system (GIS) to provide a spatial picture with overlaying and buffering techniques. The data analysis used topography, slope, distribution of settlements, and coastlines with collected data sources from government agencies and remote sensing, including field observations. The analysis results showed that the settlements scattered Sulabesi island randomly and separately with linear patterns, clustering, and combinations. The distribution in the island landscape was with a dominant height at 0-200 m and a slope of 0-30% or is a flat-steep plain. Besides that also shows a mismatch of utilization between the residence and the coastal border area, so land use for future settlements can do on the more proportional ground, especially outside the coastal buffer area. The results of this study's analysis can be used for further direction in regional planning and land management on small islands.

Telukjambe Barat and Telukjambe Timur Sub-Districts, Karawang Regency, have a high flood risk level due to changes in Land Use/Land Cover and the yearly occurrence of runoff water discharge. This research aims to analyze the rate and pattern of land-use change due to industrial development, examine the correlation of flood impacts with environmental-socio-economic factors, and develop a flood risk model in industrial areas. Data were collected through methods of system dynamics, remote sensing, geographic information system, questionnaire distribution, focus group discussions, and in-depth interviews with stakeholders. The results showed that floods in this regency are due to massive inland changes, such as the transition from vegetation and water bodies to industrial and residential areas and a strong relationship between environmental-social-economic factors. In other cases, areas with urban land conversion are likely to be flood-prone zones in places such as the Philippines, Belgium, and China. Based on the correlation test that has been conducted, the relationship with the highest level of closeness is the correlation between environmental factors and the impact of flooding, which has a value of 0.791. Therefore, the disaster risk model with an integrated spatial plan approach and an ecological perspective is an option for realizing sustainable development in industrial areas in Karawang Regency. © 2022 Faculty of Geography UGM and The Indonesian Geographers Association.