Rethinking Coastal Spatial Planning Through Equity: Evidence from Semarang and Dutch Water Governance
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Abstract
Coastal spatial planning can generate socio-spatial exclusion when infrastructure-led development prioritizes physical protection over social equity and local livelihood security. This systematic literature review synthesizes 47 peer-reviewed studies and 8 government documents to evaluate the implementation of Semarang’s Spatial Plan (RTRW 2011–2031) and the Giant Sea Wall project. Despite inclusive policy narratives, hard-engineering interventions remain insufficient in addressing extreme relative sea-level rise driven by the combined effects of land subsidence and sea-level rise (103–128 mm/year), while potentially transferring flood risks to vulnerable coastal communities. The synthesis identifies seven critical global implementation gaps: (1) political-economic priorities overriding risk-based zoning, (2) limited institutional recognition of geodetic hazards, (3) inadequate participatory planning mechanisms, (4) fragmented regulatory responsibilities across administrative institutions, (5) tenure insecurity associated with coastal commodification, (6) technological path dependency in hydraulic infrastructure, and (7) disconnected livelihood compensation frameworks. Drawing on comparative insights from Dutch democratic waterschappen and the Room for the River approach, this study demonstrates how infrastructure-centric coastal governance may undermine the resource access and livelihood security of traditional fishing communities, thereby reinforcing distributional inequalities. Moving beyond conventional engineering solutions, this paper proposes an equity-centered spatial governance framework that integrates social justice considerations into formal coastal zoning regulations. Future research should develop spatially explicit socio-ecological vulnerability indices to quantitatively assess long-term displacement risks and economic pressures affecting informal marine economies.
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References
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