Bridge and Islandness: The Case of Suramadu Bridge in Indonesia

The natural resources, the nature of an island’s ecosystem, and the minds of the islanders who live there determine an island’s identity. It is thought that the views and perspectives of people on the land, people who look at the island as an object, determine the islandness of a specific island as well. Natural phenomena, including the physical, geographical, and ecological characteristics of the island, which have been associated with the biological culture of the islanders for a long time, also determine its islandness. However, old island traditions, perceptions and identities are changing due to a number of recent developments. The existence of bridges connecting islands to other islands and islands to the mainland significantly changes an island’s identity. Products such as vegetables and fruits harvested from the islands can be quickly delivered to the mainland, while people can travel to and from the island in their vehicles at any time. They no longer have to worry about ferries being delayed or cancelled due to bad weather. Conversely, a number of studies have shown that there have been negative impacts since the construction of bridges connecting the mainland to islands. Pulau Madura in Indonesia is a large island with a population of more than 3 million people. It was connected to Surabaya, Indonesia’s second largest city, by a bridge in 2009. This chapter briefly introduces the results of a survey on the changes in perception and opinions of Pulau Madura residents on their connection to the mainland with the construction of the Suramadu Bridge. In terms of economic activity, most of the natives of Pulau Madura gave a positive assessment. Some gave negative feedback because of the increased motorcycle traffic accidents and the change in identity that Madura youths are undergoing due to the influx of western culture from metropolitan Surabaya. Surabayan citizens, however, were not very interested in the bridge. According to them, there are few interesting places to see on Pulau Madura, which means there are not many tourist destinations. In their opinion, it is necessary to develop some tourist destinations on the island to make it more attractive.