ABSTRACT
Many urban poor in Indonesia’s kampung neighbourhoods rely on tenuous property rights arrangements. A common problem pertains to land tenure security that can protect residents from eviction or any other forms of harassment. Government responses to land tenure issue in kampung have evolved from non-recognition to formalization of grassroots arrangements. Studies have shown how tenure security matters in household and community upgrading practices. This chapter asks: How and to what extent has kampung residents’ perception of tenure security shaped housing and settlement upgrading? The empirical evidence shows there is a range of tenure forms. The most prominent is garapan (occupancy) rights, which creates a feeling of security against forced eviction. Where there was perceived tenure security, kampung residents mostly invested in housing, gained access to basic services and access to credit. Perception of tenure security also partly stems from the residents’ sense of state recognition through government programmes such as housing improvement (kampung deret), footpath pavement and micro-credit loans. The chapter contributes to the theoretical debate on the effects of perceived tenure security and the reciprocal impacts on (actual) tenure security. It outlines policy recommendations on land tenure regularization in a context of pro-poor land management and inclusive planning.
