Fashionable Kemang<\/p>\n
More by accident than by design, Kemang has developed this
\npast decade to become undoubtedly the most fashionable area of
\nMetropolitan Jakarta. The 30 or so theme restaurants and cafes
\ndotting the tree-lined Jl. Bangka and Jl. Kemang Raya have turned
\nthe South Jakarta district into a popular hang out for the city's
\nrich and famous, as well as the rich-and famous-wannabees.<\/p>\n
Every night, hundreds of celebrities, businesspeople, artists,
\nintellectuals, professionals and university students, some of
\nthem in their flashy cars, flock to Kemang. If one is to look for
\nits equivalent, Kemang is what Greenwich Village is to Manhattan,
\nor Chelsea is to London. A Kemang frequenter has likened it to
\nMelrose Place, a popular TV soap opera named after a chic area in
\nLos Angeles.<\/p>\n
But if the city authorities have their way, this development
\nwill soon be stopped in its tracks. According to news reports
\nthis week, Jakarta Governor Surjadi Soedirdja has called for a
\ncomplete halt on new construction plans in Kemang; and he wants a
\nthorough review of all the building permits issued for commercial
\nestablishments along Jl. Bangka and Jl. Kemang Raya.<\/p>\n
The decision came after it was learned that 90 percent of all
\nbuildings in the two main roads have been turned into commercial
\nestablishments, mostly restaurants and cafes, but also an
\nassortment of art and curio shops and supermarkets. This is in
\nviolation of the ordinance designating Kemang as a residential
\narea. Under the ordinance, only a maximum of 15 percent of the
\narea could be used for commercial purposes.<\/p>\n
The proliferation of restaurants and cafes is also seen as
\nthreatening the role of Kemang as a water catchment area, vital
\nfor the survival of Jakarta. Many of these establishments have
\nconverted green areas of their plots into parking lots. There are
\nother reasons cited by the authorities for restoring Kemang's
\nstatus as a residential area. Surjadi cited the presence of
\ndrunks disrupting the neighborhood at night, and that residents
\nno longer feel safe. Growing traffic has also been mentioned.<\/p>\n
Falling short of drastic actions, the administration has made
\nit clear that it will not extend the operating licenses of some
\nof the restaurants and cafes, which are renewable each year.<\/p>\n
Kemang's future, so it seems, is already determined, or
\ndoomed. This is a sad for Jakarta. One could argue that Kemang is
\nperforming a role that no other area in the city could replace,
\nat least not in the near future: a place for socializing among
\nthe city's elites. Few drunks, if indeed they do venture into the
\nstreets, and the traffic congestions seem small prices to pay if
\none consider the social function that Kemang is performing.
\nJudging from the press reports, Kemang is no more or less prone
\nto crime than other areas in Jakarta.<\/p>\n
The Kemang affair, if anything, has exposed the weak
\nsupervision of the administration. Governor Surjadi was the first
\nto admit that the violations were committed by his office which
\nissued building permits in spite of an ordinance limiting
\ncommercial establishments. Restaurant and cafe owners feel their
\npresence and businesses are legitimate for they hold building and
\noperating licenses.<\/p>\n
But such violations are not limited to Kemang. There are far
\ngraver violations in the way the administration has been issuing
\nbuilding permits elsewhere in Jakarta that deserve greater
\nattention than Kemang. In the case of Kemang, it is probably
\nworth considering the social function that it has come to play
\nand contribute to Metropolitan Jakarta, before the authorities
\nmove with its plan to restore it to the original function.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/fashionable-kemang-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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