Rebuilding Aceh anew<\/p>\n
It's been weeks since the devastating earthquake and tsunami,
\nbut the pain is still there. The tears might have dried. The dust
\nmight have settled. People living on another continent might have
\nalready forgotten it, but not the Acehnese. It will take a long
\ntime to recover. For the Acehnese, it will never be the same. The
\nwound is too deep. There will be scars.<\/p>\n
All of a sudden we are facing this grief. We are devastated,
\nand we have to think carefully about how to move on. Perhaps, we
\ncan learn from the approach that Rotterdam city took, when their
\ncity was destroyed by bomb attacks in World War II. They
\nreconstructed and rebuilt. And all of that on the foundation of
\nits community.<\/p>\n
People in Rotterdam are -- up to now -- still proud to call
\nthemselves Rotterdamers. They were, and are, the heart of the
\ncity. It is a good example of how a city can survive such
\ndevastation.<\/p>\n
We have all agreed that we are going to reconstruct and
\nrebuild Aceh, but we have to have a clear definition of what we
\nmean by reconstruction and rebuilding. In this situation,
\nreconstruction is not just building everything all over again,
\nand hoping everything will be the same. Nothing is the same
\nanymore.<\/p>\n
This disaster has changed our lives totally, and we have to
\nlive with it. Otherwise, we live in denial. This is a moment when
\nwe have to move on, with the scars on our heart. We have to move
\non with the understanding that our lives are not the same
\nanymore, and that is the reason why we cannot build Aceh exactly
\nas it was. It has changed.<\/p>\n
We are building Aceh with better urban planning. We have to
\nsee that over and above rebuilding all the buildings and
\ninfrastructure, the rebuilding of the community is fundamental.
\nThe foundation is its cultural and social assets, and this time
\nwe will build with respect to its environment.<\/p>\n
Learning from this experience, the new Aceh city planning,
\nshould have a natural barrier on the coastline. Mangrove and
\ncoconut tree plantations along the coast would be a good barrier.
\nIt is also a good investment to preserve the coral reefs along
\nthe coast.<\/p>\n
The city itself has to be build with a good understanding of
\nits social and cultural assets. It is a Muslim society. A mosque
\nis an important place for the community. The mosque is a center
\nof their social and cultural activities.<\/p>\n
Lastly, the most important thing is that all of this has to be
\ndone together by the Acehnese, with help from all over the world.<\/p>\n
RESTUNING SANDINI
\nUrban Environmental Consultant
\nBali<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/rebuilding-aceh-anew-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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