Priority Areas for Public Infrastructure Development to Support National Equity, Case Study: East Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia

Abstract. Equitable public infrastructure development has benefits both locally and nationally as it can improve the economy and the welfare of local population. However, achieving equitable infrastructure development remains challenging due to various obstacles, such as financial issues, environmental concerns like land clearing, and planning difficulties. To address these challenges, this study aims to develop a spatial model for public infrastructure planning in Indonesia, with a case study in Indonesia in East Nusa Tenggara (ENT) Province. The infrastructure includes transportation (roads) and basic services (health and education facilities). The research considers aspects of accessibility, socio-economic factors, and disasters using the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) and Geographical Information Science (GIS) methods to determine development priorities. ENT was chosen because it has a low Human Development Index (HDI) and a high poverty rate in Indonesia. The results of this study indicate that priority areas for public infrastructure development in East Nusa Tenggara are dominated by the moderate class, covering 34.48% of the area, followed by the high class at 30.46%, the low class at 22.89%, and the very high class at 12.17%. The districts/cities with the highest area percentages in ENT are East Sumba, West Sumba, and Southwest Sumba. It is hoped that the results of this study can serve as a basis for policymakers in determining priority areas for public infrastructure development efficiently and effectively.