Government: Agglomeration Concept as Solution to Urban Problems
The Ministry of Home Affairs considers the development of agglomeration areas as an effort to resolve urban issues. Deputy Minister of Home Affairs Bima Arya Sugiarto stated that the government is encouraging the strengthening of the agglomeration concept based on a sectoral approach to accelerate the resolution of various urban area problems.
The agglomeration concept, according to him, is not new. However, its implementation is often hindered by an excessive focus on institutional aspects, resulting in cross-regional issues such as flooding, congestion, and waste not being handled optimally.
“In China, Sir, they have advanced to this extent until now because their agglomeration is working. Regulated by the centre, given models by the centre, so it relies on agglomeration. They can’t do it individually,” Bima said in his statement in Jakarta on Thursday, 30 April 2026.
He conveyed this at the National Seminar Discussion on Sustainable Agglomeration Aglo-City Summit 2026 at the Novotel Tangerang BSD City in Tangerang Regency, Banten.
The Ministry of Home Affairs has been mandated to ensure synchronisation, synergy, and effective collaboration among stakeholders. This approach is deemed important so that development policies do not proceed partially, but within an integrated ecosystem.
Bima emphasised the need for a shift in approach from institutional to sectoral so that problem resolution can be carried out more quickly and concretely in the field. “Focus on issues and sectors directly,” he said.
He cited waste management and transportation as key issues in agglomeration areas that require a sectoral approach.
The Waste Management to Electricity Energy Programme (PSEL) and the Local Service Delivery Improvement Programme (LSDP) were mentioned as forms of direct central government intervention focused on concretely resolving problems.
He assessed that cross-regional transportation integration could also run more effectively if supported by clear authority, financing schemes, and inter-regional coordination within the agglomeration framework.
Bima affirmed that with central government support and local government commitment, the agglomeration concept based on a sectoral approach has strong prospects as a long-term solution to overcoming urban area problems.