Implementation of new city planning 'must be delayed'

Implementation of new city planning 'must be delayed'

JAKARTA (JP): The city administration must delay
implementation of its ongoing spatial plan, while observing the
importance of involving the public in the decision making process
and to making them aware of the abundance of urban problems in
the capital, observers said on Tuesday.

Marco Kusumawijaya, an expert on city spatial planning, said
current spatial planning was disoriented as it didn't touch the
majority's interests.

"The city administration is planning to build subway tracks
that will connect Fatmawati area in South Jakarta to the downtown
Kota area on the border of Central Jakarta and West Jakarta.

"But, who will benefit from the project? Certainly not the
majority of workers, who live in the eastern and western parts of
the capital," Marco said while addressing a seminar on city
spatial planning.

"The budget should, therefore, be used for the construction of
low-cost housing for workers," he added.

The old spatial plan of Jakarta, initially designed for the
1985-2005 period, has been replaced by a new one named Jakarta
2010, which was enacted in June 1999. The current spatial plan is
valid for the 1995-2010 period.

Danang Priatmodjo, a lecturer at Tarumanagara University's
School of Architecture, said similarly that the administration
had failed to involve people in the decision making process.

"The city administration cannot just convert ground floors of
offices along the city's thoroughfares Jl. M.H. Thamrin and Jl.
Sudirman into pedestrian pathways.

"The administration must obtain approval from the building's
owners and consider security arrangements for the buildings as
pedestrian tracks are accessible to all people," Danang said.

Slamet, a pedicab driver and activist of the Urban Poor
Consortium (UPC), said the administration didn't pay much
attention to the poor community in the capital.

"The city administration only promotes high-rise buildings for
the international community, but ignores development plans for
poor residents, like me," he said.

Head of the City Planning Agency Ahmaddin Ahmad defended the
new spatial plan claiming it has been designed to comply with
guidelines issued by the ministry of home affairs and regional
autonomy.

"One of the priorities of the current spatial plan is the
waterfront city development in the city's northern coastal area,
which was not covered in the previous plan," said Ahmaddin.

Marco, however, questioned the importance of the waterfront
city project, citing various violations on land permits issued by
the city administration.

"The reclamation projects of coastal areas in North Jakarta,
aimed at building housing complexes, have damaged the mangrove
forest and ecosystems in the area," he said.

When asked about the planning of green space in the capital,
Ahmaddin said the city administration has planned to develop at
least 9,544 hectares of green space by 2010, which is about 13.9
percent of the total area in the capital.

But, Danang said that most green spaces had been converted to,
among others things, gas stations and commercial areas.

"All these criticism and suggestions will be included in the
evaluation of the city spatial plan in 2004. I hope residents,
together with city administration officials, can formulate new
ideas to monitor city development," Ahmaddin said. (07)