Architects call for effort to 'save the city's soul'

JAKARTA (JP): Young architects participating in the 7th Asian Congress of Architects called on their colleagues yesterday to help "save the city's soul" by recognizing the diverse needs of its residents.

Achmad Rida Soemardi said that the soul of Jakarta "is being threatened by large-scale renewal and the privatization of public space."

Achmad, representing the group of Indonesian Young Architects (AMI), most of whom completed their studies in the late 1980s and 1990s, said an answer must be found to the question of "whose soul" the city represents.

Developers, decision-makers, the rich, the poor and the rising middle class, he said, "all contribute to the soul of the city."

The young architects of AMI, he said, face the challenge of helping link residents to the sense of place that once existed in the past.

Yori Antar, another AMI member, said the city cannot have a soul as long as the public, including low-income earners, do not have an equal say in urban planning.

Development of the city is dictated by developers and the authorities, say members of the AMI.

Numerous former officials, architects, lawyers and social workers handling land disputes have accused developers and local authorities of violating and altering the city's zoning colors, which designate residential, office and public spaces on the city's spatial plans.

AMI members shared the views of some of their seniors, including M. Danisworo, the chairman of the city's urban design review board. Danisworo said that the needs of both the formal and informal sectors, such as office occupants and street traders, need to be met.

The city has begun to take some steps, he said. It has ordered high-rise building owners to allocate space for traders and has begun phasing out walls and high fences between buildings.

Achmad said the city has fallen prey to the 1960s drive to make Jakarta "a showcase for modernity."

Buildings are "handsome as single entities", he said, but the only link between them are pedestrian bridges and flyovers.

The three-day conference, which ends today, was opened Wednesday by Minister of Public Works Radinal Moochtar. It is hosted by the Indonesian Architects Association (IAI) and the Architects Regional Council for Asia (Arcasia).

Other speakers included former Arcasia chairman Ken Yeang from Malaysia, who spoke about skyscrapers and efforts to recognize the needs of its occupants. He cited a recent study that revealed that most office occupants want control over air circulation in their buildings.

Responding to his idea, Endy Soebijono, the chairman of IAI's city branch, said that investors need to be made aware of such studies. Most, however, are "still too intent on gaining capital returns as soon as possible," he said.

The result is exclusivity, he said, adding that only occupants paying steep membership fees are able to enjoy clubhouses and other private spaces.

When the owners of these buildings try to sell office space, he said, their advertising is limited to "gimmicks" such as high- speed lifts, instead of catering to the needs of the occupants themselves.

The city has at least 80 buildings standing at least 20 stories high, he said.

Tay Kheng Soon, former president of the Singapore Institute of Architects, said new Asian architecture will be "dominated by superficiality and imported status symbols of pride and progress" if it cannot "capture the imagination of the new middle classes." (anr)