Peri-urban areas have been commonly defined as transitional zones located in the outskirts of a designated city boundary, where rural and urban characteristics meet each other. Generally, peri-urban area moves away from the metropolitan core following the establishment of urban settlement. Peri-urban transformation in Jakarta Metropolitan Area (JMA) has largely taken the form of large scale land development mushrooming since the early 1990s. The transformation can be seen from the increase of the proportion of migrants, the change in the job's structure, the increasing number of secondary and tertiary sectors jobs, and the increasing of household's income. It is argued that peri-urbanisation has been characterised by the transformation of the socio-economic structure from predominantly rural to more urban activities, and simultaneously creating both jobs and spatial segregation. Large-scale land developments in the peri-urban areas of JMA have characteristically been developed for the benefit for the rich. The unequal development in peri-urban areas has the potential to create social conflicts between communities. The spatial segregation in JMA could be classified as belonging to ‘self-segregation’ or ‘voluntary spatial segregation’. •Demonstrates that the peri-urban areas of JMA are moving outwards.•Demonstrates the socio-economic structure transformation in of JMA.•Large-scale land development in JMA creating suburbanisation and peri-urbanisation and unequal distribution of development.•The unequal development in peri-urban areas has the potential to create social conflicts between communities.•Large-scale land developments in peri-urban areas of JMA benefits the rich, creates gaps between the poor and the rich.