Accessible public parks wanted

Tertiani ZB Simanjuntak and Evi Mariani, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Living in the concrete jungle that is Jakarta, a visit to public parks can be relaxing. But fewer and fewer people go there. Jakartans prefer to take their families at the weekend to shopping malls for recreation.

A family chatting over lunch at a food court, strolling through a fully air-conditioned mall while window-shopping, with the children playing at an indoor playground, consider all that more fun today than dealing with bugs and the burning sun outdoors at a park.

Fewer people even care whether the parks still exist.

Ordinary people know that public parks are an important element in city planning. Public parks are essential as they are multifunctional, not only as playgrounds and sport fields where people can breathe fresh air. As green areas, they are of paramount importance as part of the ecosystem and function as water catchments. Besides, they can also beautify the city.

As for the community in general, public parks can help to nurture an emotional proximity with the environment and create a milieu in which to socialize with others in harmony.

A public park is not a gift from the government; it is the right of the community.

Gubernatorial Decree no. 10/1999 stipulates that public parks are part of the city's bank of green space within particular boundaries, man-made designs that combine with natural elements and serve the function of water catchments.

Moreover, Bylaw no. 7/1997 on the organization and job description of the city's park agency highlights the social function of public parks. As publicly owned entities, no charge should be imposed on park visitors.

In the 1985 to 2005 city master plan, the Jakarta administration specified around 105.9 hectares (ha) of land for 302 public parks. But the revised, 1995 to 2010 Jakarta Master Plan allowed dramatic changes to the park setup.

According to the City Park Agency's latest data, at least 250 public parks have been lost to business uses. Forty-two of those were located in Central Jakarta, 27 North Jakarta, 48 West Jakarta, 56 East Jakarta and 77 in South Jakarta.

From the number of lost public parks, 34 became gas stations, having a total area of 53,700 square meters.

Many landscaping experts and city activists believe that this occurred because the public was not involved in park management and park-related policy making. All decisions are in the hands of seemingly corrupt officials. Or insensitive ones.

The prestigious and historical National Monument (Monas) park in Central Jakarta is a blatant example.

Still fresh in the memory are public protests in May against the plan of the Sutiyoso administration to build a three-meter- high fence to ring the 108-ha park, which at that time was estimated to cost Rp 9 billion (about US$1 million).

Critics say the fence has destroyed views and also made the park less accessible to the public.

But the administration continued with its plan and recently completed the project, said to be aimed at keeping vendors and the protesting public outside the park, located close to the presidential palace, government offices and the gubernatorial office.

The surprises don't stop there. Sutiyoso plans to release deer from Bogor Palace and lay out three small soccer fields and a jogging track in the park. But careful consideration should be made before the plan is put into action, especially as deer are sensitive animals that can easily be stressed.

In fact, the park is now in a pathetic state. A large part of it is now covered with bricks, while trees have grown only to distinguish each section in the park, with no large and shady specimens to cool the city.

Even though many prefer nowadays to go to shopping malls instead of public parks, there are still some, especially those from the low-income bracket, who frequently visit parks.

"I come here to hang out with my friends," said Ardiansyah, 26, a regular visitor to Lembang park in the upmarket residential area of Menteng, Central Jakarta.

"We come here because there is no such park near our neighborhood in Kramat ... We love to come here because we're looking for tranquility. Here, we're far from traffic and there is a hint of the village environment," he said.

Unfortunately, the noise, especially at night, annoys residents. It is no secret that many people go to the park for dating.

Tri Santoso, one of Lembang park's attendants, said that the park was closed every night from 10 p.m. until the following morning since Aug. 1 last year after residents complained.

However, nearby Suropati park, adjacent to Jl. Diponegoro, is quiet most of the time, even though it is quite pleasant. The park is surrounded by the well-known residences of the vice president and the U.S. ambassador, and is near to the governor's official residence. A police station also stands on one of the corners.

Asnawi and Yati, street sweepers who usually take a rest in the park, said that the police prohibited the general public from accessing the park. Food vendors are not allowed to operate in its vicinity, either.