This introductory chapter presents an overview of the existing studies on kampungs in the context of urbanization that invades what used to be rural areas as a result of urban development, particularly in developing countries like Indonesia. It also provides the highlight of each chapter of this edited volume and key arguments proposed by the contributors, which demonstrate the ways in which the research findings of the chapters offer an array of novel ideas in regards to the nature of relationship and interaction between the urban and the rural, which enrich further the existing contemporary studies of urban–rural dynamics, especially in Asian urban settings. Furthermore, this introduction also hints at how the chapters explore how the communities in the urban peripheries create and mobilize their local “commonings” to help them develop resilience in the face of the unstoppable urban expansion.