BKKBN: Need for More Inclusive Urban Planning to Address Urbanisation Surge

As a result, many low-income communities are forced to build homes on marginal, high-risk lands, such as along railway tracks, to be closer to economic centres and job opportunities. Jakarta (ANTARA) - The Ministry of Population and Family Development (Kemendukbangga)/BKKBN has stated the importance of more inclusive urban planning to address the spillover of urbanisation from villages to cities following the homecoming flow. Secretary of Kemendukbangga/Chief Secretary of BKKBN Budi Setiyono made this statement in response to President Prabowo Subianto’s visit to the railway tracksides in the Senen area, Central Jakarta, on Thursday (26/3), to inspect and greet residents as a step to “shop” for problems directly from the field. “In this context, the President’s presence is not only a symbol of the government’s attention to these social conditions but also emphasises the urgency of handling urbanisation, more inclusive urban planning, provision of affordable housing, and equitable development so that urbanisation pressure does not continue to create slums in spaces not meant to be inhabited,” he said in Jakarta on Wednesday. Budi explained that dense settlements along railway tracks reflect the real impact of the continuously increasing urbanisation flow, where population movement from villages to cities is not always accompanied by the availability of decent housing. Budi also conveyed that every year Jakarta experiences an addition of around 16,000 residents due to urbanisation from villages. This addition must be anticipated, both in terms of education, health services, housing, and other public services. “If not calculated precisely, risks of density, congestion, to a decline in community welfare quality, even the potential for increased criminality, will emerge,” he said. Therefore, Kemendukbangga/BKKBN is preparing an action plan in a coordination meeting with 15 ministries/institutions to anticipate the increasingly increasing urbanisation flow every year, especially after the Eid holiday. “The urgency of this meeting is because urbanisation issues do not only occur during Eid and return flow moments but also impact spatial planning if not anticipated well. Without thorough planning, the impacts can be broad,” Budi said.