ABSTRACT
Many development institutions and governments believe in the benefits of formalisation. This process offers administrative recognition, tenure security against eviction, and property rights that offer access to the formal market, physical improvement, and socio-economic development. The perceived benefits of formalising informal settlements make it one of the omnipresent government regulations, including in Indonesia. The Indonesian government initiated a nationwide land titling programme in 1981 (Agrarian Reform) and a land consolidation project in 2019. Before the land consolidation programme, multiple urban development projects aimed to formalise urban service delivery and improve informal settlement physical conditions. This chapter has shown a case in which efforts for formalisation fail to address the collective community strategy of resistance and community agency. Kampung Beting resisted land tenure formalisation efforts using strategies that are not overly organised (i.e., not forming a coalition and making a collective demand). Kampung dwellers combine formal (community meetings) and informal (quiet encroachment and daily micro-resistance) strategies. From the government side, the problems in upgrading informal spaces are not due to a lack of physical investment but rather a failure to engage with the community and understand local barriers to improving public service delivery.
