Expert says public should be involved in city planning
Expert says public should be involved in city planning
JAKARTA (JP): The government should encourage greater public
participation in spatial planning, in line with its ambition to
privatize more development projects, an expert suggested
yesterday.
The public is currently hardly involved in spatial planning,
Sujana Royat, chairman of the Association of Indonesian Spatial
Master Planners (IAP) said.
"Who can deny that development of regions and cities is
controlled by only a number of Indonesians described as
conglomerates," he said.
"It is because the conglomerates have access to information on
the regional and city master plans prepared by the government,"
he added.
Sujana said the people's access to information on city master
plans is guaranteed in Law No. 24/1992 on regional spatial
planning.
"Every citizen has the right to know the spatial master plan
of the areas in which they live," he said, adding that the
government's development program would succeed only if the people
participate.
He quoted President Soeharto's recent statement that the
government would require an investment of Rp 816 trillion (US$349
billion) to achieve a 7.1 percent economic growth per year in the
current five-year development plan (Pelita VI).
"Seventy five percent of the total investment is expected to
come from the private sector," he quoted the president as saying.
On the same occasion, the chairman of the Center for
Information and Development Studies (CIDES) Adi Sasono warned
that inappropriate spatial planning may cause uneven distribution
of the development gains.
He pointed out that the inter-region economic disparities
could spark social unrest if they continue unchecked.
He said the problem cannot be overcome with market mechanisms
alone but only with accompanying political will from the
government.
According to Sasono, the uneven distribution of development
gains is a delicate issue that Indonesia should solve without
delay if it does not want to see more social unrest in the
future.
He recalled a series of riots that occurred recently in
Purwakarta, West Java; Pekalongan in Central Java and Pasuruan in
East Java; and in Timika and Jayapura in Irian Jaya.
"Intense and frequent social unrest could easily disturb
national stability," he warned.
In spatial planning terms, he said, it is high time for the
government to start thinking of developing the regions in such a
way that people will not be encouraged to stream to urban
centers.
"If regions are properly developed, people wouldn't have to go
to the cities to seek a better standard of living".
Greater community participation in spatial planning and
regional development will be discussed in a two-day seminar co-
sponsored by CIDES and IAP on May 7 to 8.
President Soeharto is scheduled to open the seminar. (imn)