Rapid population growth and inadequate adherence to scientific and managerial principles in urban planning have intensified numerous challenges, pushing major Iranian cities toward instability. Tehran, as the capital and one of the most urbanized regions in the country, faces significant sustainability threats that require immediate attention. These challenges are not unique to Tehran but represent a broader issue faced by rapidly urbanizing cities worldwide, particularly in developing countries. Addressing such challenges is critical to fostering sustainable development on a global scale. While urban sustainability has been extensively studied, limited research has focused on the indicators of urban instability and their tangible impacts on sustainable urban planning. This study aims to bridge this gap by identifying and analyzing key factors contributing to urban instability across economic, environmental, and social dimensions, with Tehran serving as a representative case. The findings reveal that economic instability is driven by uncertainty in economic policies, fluctuating housing prices, non-standard housing conditions, income disparity, unemployment, and cost of living pressures. Environmental instability is exacerbated by climate change, urban heat islands, floods, transportation mismanagement, energy insecurity, pollution, and insufficient green infrastructure. Social instability arises from limited social interaction, unequal access to services, weak community participation, social harms, and diminished urban safety and welfare. By framing these local challenges within a global context, the study underscores the interconnectedness of these dimensions and highlights the necessity for integrated, evidence-based approaches that combine local insights with global best practices. The findings aim to contribute to the broader discourse on sustainable urban development by offering actionable insights and strategies that can be adapted and implemented in other rapidly urbanizing cities. This research serves as a guide for policymakers, urban planners, and stakeholders worldwide, emphasizing the importance of holistic and resilient urban strategies to address the multifaceted challenges of sustainability and instability.

The Government of Indonesia has modernized the toll road transaction system by implementing the multi-lane free-flow (MLFF) project, set to operate commercially by the end of 2024. This project leverages Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) technology to identify vehicles using toll roads and establish a transaction mechanism that allows the MLFF Project Company to charge road users according to distance, vehicle category, and tariff levels. The project has result in a complex business arrangement between the Indonesia National Toll Road Authority (INTRA), Toll Road Companies (TRCs), and the MLFF Project Company. The aim of this paper is to review the regulatory and institutional framework of the MLFF project and analyze its challenges. The methodology employed is a qualitative framework for legal research, utilizing international literature reviews and current regulatory frameworks. The study assesses the proposed transaction architecture of the project and identifies commercial, political, and other risks associated with its implementation. Based on the analysis, the research identifies opportunities for regulatory improvements and better contracting arrangements. This research provides valuable insights into the regulatory landscape and offers policy recommendations for the Government to mitigate the identified risks. This contribution is significant to the academic field as it enhances understanding regulatory and institutional challenges in implementing advanced toll road systems.

The Trans Sumatra Toll Road (TSTR) is a mega toll road project with an assignment State-Owned Enterprise (SOE) scheme in Indonesia. In its development, TSTR has several limitations, including funding, low investment feasibility and the un-optimum implementation of land value capture (LVC). This has the impact of delaying the completion of project development, decreasing the performance of toll road developer companies and even causing bankruptcy. LVC is an alternative funding scheme proven successful in other countries such as Hongkong, England and Vietnam. Several transportation projects based on transit-oriented development have successfully achieved profits using the LVC method. With a low project feasibility, the implementation of the Road Plus Property Developer (RPPD) business model is expected to be a solution to improve investment performance in the TSTR project. RPPD is defined as an assignment scheme toll road business model based on LVC implementation. This research aims to develop policies for implementing the RPPD business model on toll road SOE-assigned schemes. The data was collected by in-depth interviews with experts in two stages. The data analysis method used is Soft System Methodology (SSM). This research produces two recommended actions: ratification of the Presidential Regulation regarding the implementation of LVC and institutional transformation of regionally owned business entities in the property sector. It is hoped that implementing the RPPD policy will become a priority in completing the TSTR project.

The use of infrastructure as a catalyst for Indonesia’s economic growth faces significant challenges. One example is the construction projects, which have not reached the intended goal and have led to an increase in investment cost compared to the original plan. Additionally, the interaction between the government and companies involved in toll-road construction projects under the public-private partnerships (PPP) mechanism has yet to produce good quality project governance and expected project performance. This study aimed to find empirical data on the determination of project intellectual capital and project ownership structure through good project governance on toll-road project performance in Indonesia. This study adopted a quantitative approach that involved data collected through a survey conducted among toll-road projects from 2015 to 2019. The data was analyzed with Structural Equation Modeling Partial Least Square (SEM-PLS). The results showed that project intellectual capital and project ownership structure significantly affected good project governance. Good project governance Practices significantly affected project performance. Project intellectual capital and project ownership structure influenced project performance through the mediation of good project governance. Conversely, two hypotheses were not supported by the data, i.e., the effect of project intellectual capital and project ownership structure on project performance. The findings of this research contributed to the literature regarding the implementation of collaborative governance in PPPs toll road development projects in Indonesia by providing a framework and assessment tools, which could be valuable for researchers and policymakers in analyzing and evaluating the governance and performance of toll road construction PPP projects.