Heat put on Braga street development
Heat put on Braga street development
Yuli Tri Suwarni, The Jakarta Post, Bandung
The controversial Braga City Walk project was unlikely to bring
the historic Jl. Braga area back to life, a heritage activist and
residents said on Monday.
Bandung Heritage Society chairwoman Harastoeti said building a
mall, apartment, supermarket and hotel on the street would not be
enough to attract people to the area.
The developer and the government should also renovate existing
infrastructure and add street lamps and beautiful sidewalks to
lure people, she said. A simple upgrade of the sidewalks was not
enough.
While the project could attract Bandung residents, it was
likely they would only visit the mall, Harastoeti said. People
were unlikely to use the sidewalks to buy souvenirs from the
shops along the street, as was planned by the government and the
developer.
"People will be reluctant to walk on Jl. Braga, as all they
need, including shops, cafes and restaurants, they can already
get in the mall," she said.
The planned complex is to be set about 50 meters back from Jl.
Braga, with developer Bangun Mitra Mandiri promising to provide
wide sidewalks for pedestrians on the street as part of the "City
Walk" concept.
The firm's executive director, Tjen Ruddy Chandra, has said
the complex would occupy 40,000 square meters of land. His
company had invested Rp 300 billion (US$35 million) into the
project, which could be completed by the end of 2005.
Construction would start immediately after approval from the
Bandung administration, Tjen said.
Harastoeti predicted the construction of the buildings would
only aggravate traffic jams on the street, as there would be more
cars trying to get into the shopping mall complex.
David B. Soediono, the chairman of the Braga Residents
Association, said the government, developer and residents should
hold a roundtable discussion to determine the street's future.
All parties had to think of how to create a conducive
environment to get people onto the sidewalks, generating business
for the street's now quiet shops, David said.
Jl. Braga used to be one of the city's main thoroughfares,
especially in the Dutch colonial era. Some important shops and
company offices were located on the street, including Abundatia
florists, which supplied flowers to the governor general's palace
in Batavia, now Jakarta.
Over time, the street became more quiet as more owners
abandoned their shops, following the shoppers attracted to other
parts of the city.
As a result, about a quarter of the 129 historic buildings in
the area were destroyed, half were neglected and in disrepair and
only the remaining quarter had been renovated by their owners.
Bandung Mayor Dada Rosada stressed his administration had not
yet officially approved the project.
"In general we agreed to the project because it is aimed at
bringing the street back to life. But before it is officially
approved it has to pass environmental impact analysis by the
Bandung government," he said.