Bogor Has the Assets to Become a World-Class City, But Faces Many Challenges

With more than ten universities, a cool climate, and a strategic location south of Jakarta, the City of Bogor has all the assets to become a world-class city. However, the chaotic angkot minibuses, rubbish scattered in various places, and the recurring threat of floods serve as a mirror that the city’s governance has not yet been running fully effectively.

Palo Alto, Singapore, Seoul are names that feel like a mantra to anyone who has spent time there and then chosen to return to Indonesia. Clean streets, comfortable pavements, public transport that adheres to schedules - all of that is not a luxury, but a minimum standard maintained by its residents and government together.

Ten years ago, after several years living abroad, I made a difficult decision: to return and settle in Indonesia. The choice fell on Bogor - a city in West Java that offers green spaces, cool air, and views of Mount Salak from the house porch.

Five years of trying gardening, harvesting rambutan, guava, pomegranate, and mango from my own yard. A life that, in the imagination of many people, is the ideal version of “returning to the countryside” for real.

And indeed, Bogor over the last ten years has not been without progress. The presence of the head of state at the Bogor Palace has driven the revitalisation of roads along the Bogor Botanical Gardens, more humane pedestrian areas, and green spaces like Sempur Park which has now become the social lung of its residents.

European-style coffee shops nesting in colonial buildings near the Bogor Botanical Gardens are proof that this city has an appeal that has not yet been fully tapped. “Wow, this is just like in Europe,” I thought one morning when the sky was slightly overcast and the streets were quiet. Not to mention the large shady trees.

However, there is one thing that has not changed in a decade: the chaos of public transport. Bogor is nicknamed the “City of a Thousand Angkots” - and that is not a compliment. City minibuses that park haphazardly, drivers who do not obey traffic signs, passenger queues that spill onto the road, all create structural congestion that repeats every day. Especially at weekends, it’s better to stay home and not go out because of the traffic jams everywhere.

To be honest here: angkots are not just a problem, they are also a solution. Bogor is a rainy city. Residents need transport that can shelter them from the downpour that can come at any time. The city’s scale, which is not too large, also makes small and flexible transport still relevant. The presence of Kita Bus and online-based transport services shows there is an intention to improve.

But after a decade, this city’s transport ecosystem has still not found a functional equilibrium. The question is no longer about whether angkots exist or not - but how to integrate them into a orderly, scheduled system that truly serves the residents.

The stakeholders - from the Bogor City Government to the West Java Transportation Agency and private operators - need to sit together with one single honest question: “What is Bogor’s transport model in the next 10 years, and who is responsible for building it today?”

Without a measured strategic answer, Bogor will only continue to pass on the same congestion to the next generation. After that, it would be good if this is socialised to all residents so that we all know too.

If you have time, try taking the train and getting off at Bogor Station, then observe the surroundings. For many visitors, the first impression is chaos and dirt. Street vendors spilling onto the road, scattered rubbish, and a steep, poorly maintained footbridge that is now closed - a painful contradiction for a city that has more than ten universities.

Some argue that it is the newcomers who make Bogor dirty. There may be some truth to that. But that argument must not become an alibi. The fact remains: the station area and town square are public spaces whose management is the direct responsibility of the city government. If that space is dirty, it is a reflection of governance failure, not just resident behaviour.

The footbridge in front of the station that still “stands firmly” but is unusable is a metaphor that is too apt: infrastructure that is present physically, but absent functionally. Stakeholders need to realise that unmaintained infrastructure is not just an aesthetic issue - this is a safety issue, and ultimately, a reflection of the state’s seriousness towards its citizens.

In recent months, flood news has once again coloured reports from Bogor. This is not a new phenomenon - but the increasing intensity and scope is an emergency signal. Bogor is the upstream area of Jakarta’s drainage system. Damage to water recharge areas, massive land use conversion, and unplanned urbanisation in the Bogor area have a direct impact not only on this city’s residents, but on millions of downstream inhabitants.

If angkots are a mobility problem and rubbish is a behaviour-governance problem, then floods are an existential problem. These three issues do not stand alone - they all stem from the quality of city planning and long-term commitment from leaders at all levels: mayor, governor, to the centre. Bogor cannot keep solving floods with the next flood.

Bogor residents have an interesting expression: “beres”. Finished, complete, nothing left out. Ironically, that is the thing that is most difficult to realise in this city’s development. Its potential is real - a rich colonial history, beautiful nature, a large educated population, and a strategic geographical position. But potential does not automatically become progress.

To the stakeholders - city and provincial government, DPRD, transport operators