Socio-cultural characteristics of people and the shape of transit-oriented development (TOD) in Indonesia: A mobility culture perspective

Recent literature argues that many transit-oriented development (TOD) projects have failed because their approaches focus on “one-size-fits-all” technical provisions and/or pay little attention to local socio-cultural suitability. Through a sociological institutionalism lens, this article examines how the local socio-cultural characteristics of people reshape mobility culture in transit areas and lead to the potential emergence of locally based TOD concepts. Our discussions are guided by the socio-cultural mobility analysis framework, an extended version of the original mobility culture theory. This analytical framework divides mobility culture into land use, housing, and transport dimensions. Five TOD potential areas located in the periphery of Greater Jakarta, Indonesia, are presented as a research window in which data and information are collected through a mixture of primary surveys and documentary reviews. This article reveals that housing preference emerges as the most important aspect of reshaping mobility culture in transit areas in Indonesia.