Suryani Wijaya

Citation

Thesis Title
Multi-level tensions in transport policy and planning: bus-rapid transit (BRT) in Indonesia

Read article at Massey Research Online:

Ms Wijaya investigated the relationships and distribution of power among multi-level actors involved in Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) investment decisions in Bandung and Surabaya, Indonesia. She found that BRT projects were advanced by the central government as a low-cost green solution for reducing traffic congestion and greenhouse gas emissions. However, the nationally imposed BRT policy was strongly opposed by social and political actors in both cities. BRT in Bandung was limited to two peri-urban corridors that did not meet local needs. Surabaya agreed to a BRT project, but then abandoned it in the face of local political and social pressure. Ms Wijaya found that top-down selection of BRT over indigenous modes of mobility created socio-political, financial, and discursive tensions. Her research showed that local power and stakeholders can distort national and international policy-initiatives so they are of limited use to the local communities they are intended to help.

Supervisors
Professor Imran Muhammad
Dr Jeff McNeill