The Changes and Spread of Settlements in Chinese Padang, Indonesia

Abstract

This study discussed the changes and distribution of Padang Chinese settlements after the Independence of the Republic of Indonesia and identify the influencing factors. It was conducted by adopting a historical approach which involved utilizing the documents related to the colonial period as well as the housing data from the Padang City Housing and Settlements Office. Oral data were also obtained through focus group discussions (FGDs) with several Padang Chinese ethnicities and analyzed to serve as a reference for field surveys. Moreover, satellite imagery was used to interpret survey data which were later processed using GIS. The findings showed that (1) the Chinese in Padang were not strictly isolated during the reign of the Dutch East Indies as indicated by their existence outside Chinese camps and (2) the expansion of the Padang City area in 1980 intensively influenced the distribution of the Chinese ethnic minority in the city. It was also discovered that (3) the earthquake experienced in Padang in 2009 had a significant effect on the changes and spread of Chinese fears and (4) the Chinese settlements were observed to have currently spread throughout almost all the areas of the city in the form of plots and different types of cluster housing.