Sunardi builds city with patience<\/p>\n
Damar Harsanto, The Jakarta Post\/Jakarta<\/p>\n
As an angler, Sunardi Rusli, 62, has learned to endure hours of
\nwaiting in the hope of hooking the big one.<\/p>\n
That patience, and a simple but well thought-out plan, has
\nmade him one of the most successful developers in the country.<\/p>\n
Sunardi was an architecture lecturer at Tarumanegara
\nUniversity when he joined PT Summarecon Agung in the 1970s.<\/p>\n
Together with Soetjipto Nagaria (now chief commissioner of the
\npublicly-listed property company), he started to develop the
\nswampy area of Kelapa Gading in North Jakarta.<\/p>\n
\"What I had in mind at that time was to transform the swamp
\ninto a low-cost housing complex for the residents of Senen, Central
\nJakarta, whose homes had been affected by the development of the
\nSenen trade center,\" he said.<\/p>\n
His simple plan expanded beyond all expectations.<\/p>\n
After 30 years, the company -- where he has been a project
\nmanager since 1978 and president director since 1999 -- has
\nmanaged to develop not only a 10-hectare low-cost residential
\ncomplex in which each house was priced at Rp 70 million, but also
\na 500-hectare prestigious residential area with full facilities,
\nincluding sports centers, hospitals, restaurants and malls.<\/p>\n
Now, the lowest price of a house in the area is about Rp 700
\nmillion.<\/p>\n
He recalls how he spent his time filling in the swamp, which
\nwas between 1.7 meters and 3.5 meters deep, with soil from Bogor
\nand Bekasi.<\/p>\n
\"That was challenging work, especially on rainy days, as we
\nhad to do everything manually using our bare hands and pushcarts
\nas there were no proper roads in the area,\" he said.<\/p>\n
In the early 1980s, the clusters of houses started to spread
\nacross the complex. However, it was still sparsely populated and
\nonly a few Jakartans were aware of its existence.<\/p>\n
\"I remember having lunches at some big restaurants across the
\ncity and handing out invitations to the owners to open new
\nbranches here. Some of them would stare at us in a daze and then
\nasked, 'Kelapa Gading? Are there any houses there?'\" he recalled,
\nchuckling.<\/p>\n
Some of the restaurant branches set up as a result still
\nsurvive today, even though the parent restaurants have shut down,
\nhe said proudly, highlighting how the complex has become the
\nperfect location for a restaurant business.<\/p>\n
\"The development of a wet market was the second priority as
\nthe nearest such market was in Rawamangun, East Jakarta, which
\nwas too far away for the residents to do their daily shopping,\"
\nSunardi said.<\/p>\n
He gathered the vegetable vendors, who used to sell their
\ngoods in pushcarts around the neighborhoods, and offered them
\nvending spaces in the area. He himself trained the traders how to
\nserve and to package their products so as to attract buyers.<\/p>\n
As the company also provided the traders with cargo trucks to
\nprocure fruit and vegetables from producing areas outside the
\ncapital, the traditional market grew rapidly.<\/p>\n
The market paved the way for the establishment of shopping
\nmalls and retail outlets in the complex early in the 1990s.<\/p>\n
Currently, at least 11 shopping centers and malls compete with
\neach other to win the custom of the residents, who occupy 25,000
\nhouses and 2,000 shophouses in the area.<\/p>\n
\"You know what really makes an architect happy? It's to
\nwitness his plan being fulfilled. And, I feel happy when I look
\nat Kelapa Gading. I've spent years on it. It just like keeping
\nquiet while fishing and waiting for the big one to come along,\"
\nSunardi said.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/sunardi-builds-city-with-patience-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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