Crisis and Reorganisation of Space

Abstract

Many scholars of Bali Studies have observed that Bali is reaching its tipping point and is on the verge of ‘self-destruction’. The ways in which this socio-ecological crisis is conceived and responded are dominantly based on three approaches: the rational-choice approach, the conservative approach, and the institutional approach. One notorious strategy for addressing the crisis by utilising those three approaches is the reorganisation of spatial configuration by enacting a spatial planning regulation. In the regulation, areas that are considered vital to the interests of the provincial government situated within district territories are designated as ‘provincial strategic areas’. Three among those designated provincial strategic areas—Uluwatu Temple, Jatiluwih, and Benoa Bay—are the locations of the three case studies explored in this book. Each of these cases iconically represents important spatial governance issues affecting the environment, culture, and socio-economic viability of local communities in Bali.