Apartments on stilts, alternative to eviction<\/p>\n
Damar Harsanto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
On one side, the city administration wants to have its 13 rivers
\nclean. One the other side, squatters desperately need better
\nhousing and environment.<\/p>\n
The combination of both seems impossible but East Jakarta
\nmunicipality has come up with an idea to build 1,000 low-cost
\n\"apartments on concrete stilts\". It is a pilot project situated
\non the banks of Ciliwung River in Kampung Melayu.<\/p>\n
East Jakarta Mayor Koesnan Abdul Halim said on Thursday that
\naround 1,000 families who are living along the riverbanks will be
\nrelocated to the apartments.<\/p>\n
\"There will be five buildings of four-story apartments on
\nstilts on the six-hectare plot of land,\" he told reporters at
\nCity Hall after a discussion on city planning and development.<\/p>\n
\"The apartments on stilts will not make the river shallower
\nand narrower. But at the same time, the squatters will enjoy
\nproper and affordable housing and environment,\" he added.<\/p>\n
Squatters have long been blamed for worsening pollution in the
\nrivers due to their bad habit of throwing their household waste
\ninto the rivers. The waste makes the rivers shallow and is prone
\nto floods during the rainy season.<\/p>\n
Last year, Governor Sutiyoso launched a forcible eviction
\ncampaign against squatters, arguing that they illegally occupied
\nriverbanks and state and privately owned land. The eviction
\nprocess received strong opposition from activists, who demanded
\nthe administration to also provide housing for the poor.<\/p>\n
The idea of \"apartments on stilts\", however, will contradict
\nBylaw No. 11\/1988 on public order, which stipulates that no
\nbuildings are allowed on the riverbanks.<\/p>\n
Koesnan argued that the construction of the apartments was a
\npart of large scale projects to rearrange areas in the
\nmunicipality. \"We have submitted our proposals of four major
\nprojects to the administration.\"<\/p>\n
The municipality plans to establish Jatinegara Golden
\nTriangle, stretching from Jatinegara railway on Jl. Matraman to
\nKampung Melayu bus terminal.<\/p>\n
\"At least 50 percent of the area is for commercial purposes,
\nwhile the rest will be for public facilities including parks, the
\nrailway station and the bus terminal,\" Koesnan said.<\/p>\n
Six heritage buildings -- including the former Jakarta
\nMilitary Command dormitory, Jatinegara railway station, Chinese
\ntemple and Santa Maria school compound -- will be tourist
\ndestinations.<\/p>\n
Two other projects are the construction of the center for
\nsmall and medium scale industries in Cakung, and the
\nrevitalization of a 20-hectare Rawa Bambon lake in Kelapa Dua
\nWetan.<\/p>\n
\"We propose Rp 8 billion (US$875,273) fund from the 2005 city
\nbudget for the four projects feasibility studies as well as their
\nmasterplan,\" Koesnan said.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Central Jakarta Mayor Hosea Petra Lumbun said his
\nmunicipality would also focus on the relocation of residents from
\nslum areas to low-cost apartments.<\/p>\n
\"Slum areas in Kramat Raya, Gunung Sahari and Matraman will be
\non our top priority list. We will build low-cost apartments on
\nformer school complexes, which have been left vacant due to lack
\nof new students, to become their new houses,\" he said.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/apartments-on-stilts-alternative-to-eviction-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}