'It could be a landmark of the city'

Nicholas Saputra, a student of architecture at the University of Indonesia, is also an actor. Last month, Andra Matin asked him to participate in the survey to walk along the route.

"Pedestrian facilities are something we need here. For example, when I walked along Jl. Mahakam, there was no pedestrian facility so I had to walk in the roadway.

"It is good that some people are taking action instead of merely complaining. Location-wise, I think Blok M to Taman Puring is by far the most achievable because the high mobility of people there. On top of that, the area is still green with lots of trees.

"If the project is prepared and carried out seriously, with a thorough survey of people's habits and also the possible impacts, I think it could be a 'happening' place where young people love to hang out. It could also be a landmark of the city."

Doli D. Siregar is a property analyst in Jakarta:

"The idea of a pedestrian-cum-shopping facility is good. And yes, businesswise, it is feasible to keep existing street vendors while inviting upmarket shop investors. There would have to be a cross-subsidy arrangement between them. Such arrangement is possible and in fact, has been proven to be achievable.

"However, architects sometimes design projects without considering their marketability. Therefore, a serious market survey has to be carried out first.

"Another important thing is the arrangement between the city administration and the investors. In spite of the good initial concept, lots of projects have failed to survive because there was no clear and realistic financial arrangement as to who would cover the maintenance cost.

"This is a very serious matter; one has to calculate the cost beforehand."

M. Danisworo, a professor of architecture at Bandung Institute of Technology, is also an architectural consultant for Jakarta's Thamrin pedestrian project:

"The precondition of a successful pedestrian facility is the level of the mobility of pedestrians in the area. For example, Citylink in Singapore is a success because it connects Marina Square, which is a business district, to Raffles City, another busy district.

"Designing without first knowing the pedestrian population is unlikely to be successful. If there are only few pedestrians cross the route, the maintenance would be costly.

"Also, keep in mind that we live in a tropical climate, so we cannot force people to walk a long way without providing them a place like a cafe or shop to take a break.

We developed the Thamrin pedestrian facility because there are many offices on the street, so many office people need a proper sidewalk."

-- Evi Mariani