A shopping paradise?

A shopping paradise?

With the rupiah still unstable, this may not seem like the
most appropriate time to talk about turning Jakarta into a
shopping paradise to rival Singapore, London, Hong Kong and other
long-famed shopper destinations in the world.

Yet, this is exactly what Jakarta's administrators and private
developers seem to have in mind.

As if to forestall events from slowing down or stopping the
ambitious project, its launch is scheduled to take place tomorrow
in a ceremony presided over by Jakarta's Governor Surjadi
Soedirdja.

According to the plan, the city's new International Tourist
and Shopping Belt, as the project is officially called, will
occupy an area of 100 hectares on Jalan Dokter Satrio in
Kuningan's "Golden Triangle" -- between Jl. Jenderal Sudirman and
Jl. Rasuna Said in Central Jakarta.

The project is set to be completed in 10 years time at a
current cost of Rp 10 trillion or about US$3.7 billion. Nine
private investors have so far committed themselves to participate
in the project.

When completed, Jakarta's new showcase tourist and shopping
zone will have five grand shopping centers, 10 international-
standard hotels, convention and exhibition centers, restaurants,
apartments, office buildings, indoor and outdoor recreation
centers, sidewalk cafes, art galleries and an assortment of
tourist and public facilities.

One aspect of the new shopping district, which is missing from
existing international hubs, is the promise of a pedestrian-
friendly environment, including shelters and broad tree-shaded
sidewalks.

The project, according to the head of the architecture team,
will be a combination of several world-renowned avenues, such as
Singapore's Orchard Road, Shanghai's Bund and the Champs-Elysees
in Paris.

Far from being a glamor project, which the city could not
really afford, the new shopping belt, according to Governor
Surjadi, will help shape Jakarta into the country's nerve center
for major services.

With more than 1.5 million foreign tourists expected to visit
the capital in the coming decade, developers and city authorities
see the project as a prospective money earner capable of
competing with neighboring Singapore, which is said to be losing
its shopping sparkle.

Critics, on the other hand, may say that even now the
burgeoning of modern shopping centers and malls in Jakarta,
during the past decade or so, has gnawed at the livelihood of an
ever greater number of traditional market traders.

To this argument, the developers and city administrators say
that a provision has been made for small traders to be allocated
space in the new tourist and shopping zone.

This, of course, is welcome news. Aside from being humane,
such a provision can surely add to the project's attraction. The
presence of traditional market places and kakilima (roadside
traders) have, after all, always been one of the city's
attractions for visitors.

As for the city's modern shopping malls, their growing numbers
and flourishing trade seems to be an unmistakable sign that
Jakartans have already come to see them as natural fixtures of
modern city life.

The indications seem to be that traditional and modern can
indeed go hand in hand. Given earlier fears, that the existence
of both would cause a growing social gap, this is fortunate
indeed.

With increasing global links, Jakarta, as the country's center
of administration, trade and commerce, deserves to have all the
amenities necessary to live up to its reputation.