This study examines continuity and change in patterns of Indonesia's urbanisation during the boom economy until the decentralisation era, using data mainly from the National Population Census 1980–2000 and from the Village Potential (PODES) 2006. Urbanisation in Indonesia is still characterised by a heavy concentration of the urban population in a few large cities, notably the Jakarta Metropolitan Area (JMA), which might reflect an integration of Jakarta into the global economy. It might also reflect an interurban disparity, between large and smaller cities. The population on the fringes of large cities is growing rapidly, while in the inner cities it is increasing at a very low rate of growth. Urban spatial development in Java is shaping belts, which connect many of the large cities. The intermediate cities and small towns on the outer islands have a relatively higher population growth rate compared with those in Java, which might suggest that those towns and cities are playing a more significant role in regional development.