The power that influences Cirebon’s urban form and urban process: case study of Cirebon, West Java, Indonesia

Abstract

This paper examines how shifting configurations of political and economic power have shaped Cirebon’s urban form and processes over the last five centuries. Using Kevin Lynch’s classification of urban elements (paths, edges, districts, nodes, landmarks) and a diachronic historical method, it traces transformations from a pre-/early-colonial monarchy centered on the Keraton to a colonial and post-colonial city with multiple nuclei. The urban pattern evolved from a grid in the pre-/early-colonial era to a radial structure under colonial rule, and to a mixed grid–radial configuration in the post-colonial period, paralleling a transportation shift from river and sea to road and rail. While the Keraton once anchored a concentric structure, contemporary reference points include the city hall, the main mosque, and retail areas. The analysis shows how religious, political, and economic forces produced a pragmatic, functionally interrelated urban landscape beyond a purely “cosmic city” model.