Kemang set to have city's first 'green map'<\/p>\n
Muninggar Sri Saraswati, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Jakarta has become notorious for its poor city planning. The
\nCity Planning Agency, with many excuses, has been violating its
\nown urban plan, causing much skepticism among residents.<\/p>\n
The most recent example was the announcement last December of
\nthe Jakarta Administration's plan to establish a dumping site in
\nthe Marunda area, North Jakarta, following a dispute with the
\nBekasi mayoralty over the Bantar Gebang dump, the current
\ndestination for the city's garbage.<\/p>\n
Of course, Marunda residents were upset by the announcement
\nand soon after staged a rally opposing the administration's plan.
\nTheir anger is understandable, as in the 1980s the agency itself
\ndesignated the Marunda area as a residential neighborhood.<\/p>\n
Unfortunately, as had happened before, the administration
\ndecided to change its earlier policy on Marunda without even
\nbothering to consult with residents.<\/p>\n
Public participation is not yet a factor in the
\nadministration's management of the city.<\/p>\n
One way of improving public participation in city planning,
\nand reducing the administration's current dominant role, is to
\napply the \"green map\" system.<\/p>\n
Green mapping is a system that encourages local residents to
\nmake a map of their own neighborhood in order to identify,
\npromote and link environmental and social resources within a
\ncity.<\/p>\n
The green map system was first established in the United
\nStates in 1994, and has now been adopted by 156 cities around the
\nworld.<\/p>\n
A green map differs from more traditional map-making
\ntechniques, in the sense that it is put together by ordinary
\nresidents and comes complete with their description of important
\nsites in the local neighborhood.<\/p>\n
Residents are expected to identify different kinds of sites in
\ntheir area using a set of icons. The system enables residents to
\ndebate the criteria and priorities that should be applied in
\ndeciding which sites to include in the map.<\/p>\n
\"Residents could apply a green map as an advocacy tool in
\nurban planning,\" he told The Jakarta Post, after a discussion on
\nthe system on Friday evening.<\/p>\n
Information contained in a green map could help the
\nadministration broaden its views on city planning.<\/p>\n
The system would impose an obligation on the administration
\nnot to change the city plan without a reasonable explanation, as
\nlocal residents would have a \"counter plan\". In the future, the
\nadministration must also include public participation in its city
\nplanning mechanisms.<\/p>\n
In Indonesia, the system was initiated by Marco Kusumawijaya
\nand aikon! foundation two weeks ago. They plan to launch it
\npublicly in early February.<\/p>\n
Currently, Marco and aikon! are still mapping the Kemang area
\nin South Jakarta, the first place in the city to undergo the
\ngreen map method.<\/p>\n
\"We chose Kemang as it is currently at a critical stage. We
\nwant to reveal that Kemang has more potential than just
\nbusiness,\" Marco said.<\/p>\n
According to Marco, the administration has been planning to
\nconvert Kemang into a tourism area, even though the agency had
\nearlier classified it as a residential zone. It used to be a
\nvillage inhabited by Betawi people (native Jakartans).<\/p>\n
Since the 1990s, the face of Kemang has been transformed.
\nGalleries and nightspots have been mushrooming.<\/p>\n
\"The administration must consider Kemang's environment before
\nchanging the area into a tourism spot,\" Marco said, adding that
\nnot many people were aware that biawak (monitor lizards) lived in
\nsome of the rivers in Kemang, which is now better known as a cafe
\nlover's paradise.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/kemang-set-to-have-citys-first-green-map-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}