The area that was going to be Kelapa Gading was an undeveloped marshland and sparsed agricultural land until 1976, when a local real estate developer company, known as PT Summarecon Agung, developed the area into a more productive land by establishing an integrated residential-commercial area in a grid-like urban planning with main boulevards and supporting facilities including schools and hospitals.

[3] The district is bounded by Bekasi Raya - Perintis Kemerdekaan Road to the south, Sunter Canal to the west, Bendungan Batik Canal to the north, and Cakung - Petukangan River to the east.

Kelapa Gading is divided into 3 kelurahan (administrative villages): Kelapa Gading as a residential area is generally targeted toward the middle to upper market[clarification needed], though there are exceptions with non-gated residences.

The Jakarta Fashion & Food Festival is annually held in several locations of this area.

Kelapa Gading is popular for its nightlife, with several bars and entertainment places that open up until late at night.

Despite being a well-developed area, Kelapa Gading is affected by floods, mainly during the rainy season, due to its geographically low plain characteristics (5 meters above sea level) and the lack of an effective flood diversion network established by the district developer.

[7] Since 2010, the East Flood Channel began functioning, diverting water that used to cross Kelapa Gading's surrounding waterway.