Abandoning the city?

Abandoning the city?

The historic drop in Jakarta's population was happily greeted
by Governor Sutiyoso quoted in Sept. 20 The Jakarta Post as
saying "Whatever the reason, it gives us fewer problems and
people to take care of". Unfortunately this celebration might be
short-lived as this news may prove to be a case where, to
paraphrase, for every silver-lining there is a cloud.

For the past few decades the political leadership and private
developers of Indonesia have guided the urban development of
Jakarta based in a large part on American models of automobile-
dependent suburban sprawl. Unfortunately, the appealing image of
suburban life in the United States as presented on television is
not balanced by an understanding of the social, environmental,
traffic, and financial problems that suburbanization has caused,
even in the land of low population densities, empty land and lots
of money.

If Jakarta is indeed following in the footsteps of American
cities then it would do well to study the history of problems
there. If there is any similarity to the American urban crises
since the 1960s, the people moving out of Jakarta are those who
can afford to buy the California-style houses in the real estate
developments of the Bogor, Jakarta and Bekasi area (Botabek). The
population shift to Botabek will be followed by the shopping
malls and then the service sector jobs. As a poorer population
becomes more concentrated in Jakarta , the Governor's headaches
are likely to get worse rather than better. As people, shopping
centers and businesses move out, the tax base decreases, public
transportation quality decreases, and air pollution and traffic
problems worsen as more and more people choose to drive into and
around Jakarta in their own cars. They won't necessarily be going
to somewhere in Jakarta but will instead be passing through
from Tangerang on the way to Bekasi or Bogor. This cycle will
turn into a vicious circle driving more of the rich out of
Jakarta.

Since independence, Indonesia's leaders have dreamed of making
Jakarta into a "modern metropolis" like the cities of the
developed world. The Governor is likely to be rudely awakened
from this dream only to find that it has become a nightmare. If
Jakarta's leaders were to look at what American cities are trying
to do to turn the urban crisis around they would realize that it
is much better to build on and enhance Jakarta's own strengths of
compact local communities, dynamic small-scale entrepreneurs and
extensive paratransit -- three things that we American urbanists
wish we had.

ROBERT COWHERD

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