Bridging the Gap: Community-Based Communication and Sustainability in the Development of Indonesia’s New Capital, Nusantara

Abstract

This study examines how community-based communication shapes public understanding and participation in sustainability initiatives surrounding the development of Indonesia’s new capital, Nusantara. The research focuses on five partner regions in East Kalimantan: Balikpapan City, Samarinda City, Penajam Paser Utara (PPU) Regency, Kutai Kartanegara (Kukar) Regency, and Paser Regency. Using a qualitative multiple-case study design, data were collected through semi-structured interviews with ten key informants, including indigenous leaders, youth representatives, community leaders, and local government public relations officials. The findings reveal that although formal communication channels, such as government events, digital platforms, and public outreach programs, are widely used to disseminate information about Nusantara’s development, community understanding of sustainability narratives is largely shaped by informal, interpersonal communication networks. Social gatherings, cultural forums, and everyday community interactions function as mediating spaces that translate policy narratives into locally meaningful practices. Cross-case analysis further identifies recurring patterns of fragmented communication structures, generational differences, and tensions between centralized policy narratives and decentralized governance contexts. The study proposes community-based communication as a bridging mechanism connecting national sustainability discourse with local participatory legitimacy in large-scale development initiatives.