City plans to widen Jl. Thamrin's sidewalks<\/p>\n
Evi Mariani, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
There's no denying it: Pedestrians are treated as the lowest form
\nof life on the streets of Jakarta.<\/p>\n
The 63,744-hectare metropolitan city, which is home to at
\nleast 10 million people, does not provide spacious sidewalks on
\nits busy streets.<\/p>\n
Head of the City Architectural Advisory Team Mohammad
\nDanisworo, who is also a lecturer at the Department of
\nArchitecture, Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB), says that
\nthe width of sidewalks that is generally accepted by planners as
\nappropriate for most modern urban centers is a minimum of four
\nmeters.<\/p>\n
In comparison, the sidewalks along Jl. Thamrin -- one of
\nJakarta's busiest thoroughfares where many modern office
\nbuildings, hotels and shopping complexes are located -- are only
\ntwo meters wide. At several spots the effective width is only one
\nmeter.<\/p>\n
"If you observe Jl. Thamrin at peak hours, when workers are
\nheading to their offices or homes, people spill onto the road,"
\nhe said earlier this week.<\/p>\n
To make those sidewalks more humane, therefore, the city
\nadministration has decided to expand the Jl. Thamrin sidewalks.<\/p>\n
"But to widen them we cannot take the space from the road.
\nInstead, we are asking the owners of the buildings to let us use
\nsome of their property in the public interest," he said.<\/p>\n
The city administration summoned some of those owners earlier
\nthis month to explain the pedestrianization project to the
\npublic.<\/p>\n
"This is our third attempt. The first was in 1997, but the
\nproject was hampered by the economic crisis at that time," he
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
The second attempt also failed because the owners were
\nreluctant to give up some of their land and dismantle their
\ngates, walls and barriers -- due, mainly, to security concerns.<\/p>\n
Rully Besari Budiyanti, a lecturer at the Department of
\nArchitecture at Trisakti University, Jakarta, who opposes the
\nadministration's decision to erect iron fences around Monas Park,
\nsaid that this time she could agree with the administration's
\nplan to pedestrianize Jl. Thamrin.<\/p>\n
"I think that for the first time the administration is paying
\nattention to the public's needs," she said. But in Rully's view,
\npedestrianization should not stop at Jl. Thamrin alone.<\/p>\n
"Of course, sidewalks on busy streets such as Jl. Thamrin are
\nthe most urgent. But I hope the administration does not stop
\nthere and pour the whole budget that is available into Jl.
\nThamrin alone," she added.<\/p>\n
Rully knows what she is talking about: She researched the
\nmatter and asked 250 pedestrians their views about sidewalks in
\nWest Jakarta.<\/p>\n
"Generally, they say that besides wider sidewalks, they also
\nneed facilities on them, such as benches, trash cans, street
\nlamps, public telephones, toilets, plants and guard posts," Rully
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
As for the security concerns of building owners, Danisworo has
\nan easy answer to counter their arguments. Many buildings in
\nJakarta do not have tall gates and walls, yet they are still
\nsafe.<\/p>\n
"For example, the Danamon building on Jl. Sudirman does not
\nhave any barriers at all. So far, it has never been harmed," he
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
According to Danisworo, the city administration hopes that,
\nthis time, the pedestrianization project can proceed without too
\nmuch opposition, either from lot owners or the public.<\/p>\n
"Some building owners have already agreed to the project. The
\nJapanese Embassy is even willing to allow a five-meter strip of
\nits land to be used," said Danisworo.<\/p>\n
"The administration is not trying to take over their land. We
\nare only borrowing it, while the ownership rights are still
\nsecurely in their hands. The administration will extend them
\ncertain kinds of incentive, such as exemption from property and
\nland taxes on the land we use," said Danisworo.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/city-plans-to-widen-jl-thamrins-sidewalks-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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