“Forest City” or Forest Under Pressure? Examining IKN’s Green Development Claims through the Lens of Climate Justice

Zafriq Al-Hazwan

doi:10.65815/8wvc7b03

Authors

Zafriq Al-Hazwan Technische Universiteit Delft Author

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.65815/8wvc7b03

Keywords:

IKN, forest city, climate justice, vegetation change, urban development

Abstract

Indonesia’s development of Nusantara, the new capital city (IKN), has been framed as an ambitious model of a green, smart, and forest-oriented city. Its planning discourse emphasizes sustainability, low-carbon development, and the integration of urban infrastructure with existing ecosystems. Yet the rapid transformation of the IKN landscape raises questions about the extent to which green-city narratives correspond with actual ecological change. This article critically examines the relationship between IKN’s development model and climate justice by analyzing changes in vegetation cover, carbon storage, infrastructure expansion, and landscape transformation. Particular attention is given to the tension between the official representation of IKN as a “forest city” and evidence of significant changes in vegetation within and around the core development area. Rather than treating environmental sustainability as a technical planning objective alone, the article approaches IKN through a climate-justice framework that considers who benefits from infrastructure investment, who bears ecological risks, and whose understanding of landscape value is recognized in decision-making. The article argues that a city cannot be considered green solely because of its planning rhetoric or technological ambitions. Green development must also account for ecological integrity, carbon consequences, distributive impacts, and the rights of communities affected by territorial transformation.

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