Concept of Carrying Capacity: Challenges in Spatial Planning (Case Study of East Java Province, Indonesia)

East Java as a province which has strategic role at national scale has a real consequences of the population and natural resource consumption rising. The regional economic growth has not given significant contribution to the environmental sustainability issue. Hence, development should take carrying capacity into account in which population dwelled so that the concept of sustainability could be implemented.Masterplan as product of a spatial planning should consider various strategic issues which among of them are the environmental sustainability issue. Policies, plans and programs in masterplan should consider the environment carrying capacity through SEA (Strategic Environment Assessment). Using comparative analysis, SEA in masterplan of East Java Province has not fully described how the environmental capacity could accommodate spatial activities. The concept of carrying capacity through the implementation of SEA is not easily integrated in spatial planning, considering challenges faced are the difficulty of the integration and synchronization between SEA and spatial plan substance; studies focus on the environment which do not consider the social and economic objectives; and the longer formulation process on policies, plans, and programs of spatial plan