Jakarta applies three methods for expansion

JAKARTA (JP): The city administration has applied, simultaneously, three development methods to expand the area of Jakarta. They are: extension, intensification and establishment of new satellite cities.

Chief of City Planning Office Udin Abimanyu said Saturday the area extension method has been applied by the city since the 1960s in the Bogor, Tangerang and Bekasi areas, known as the buffer zones of Jakarta.

"But there will come a time when the greater Jakarta area can no longer be exploited, so we have to choose land reclamation as another alternative of the extension method," Udin said at a seminar discussing measures to anticipate increases in the building intensity.

The one-day seminar, held in the Shangri-La Hotel, was opened by H. MK. Tadjudin, rector of the University of Indonesia. TB Rais, deputy governor for economic and developmental affairs, was the key-note speaker, as well as a number of other speakers.

More than 100 representatives from more than 30 property developers, as well as university students from various technical schools, attended the seminar held by the University of Indonesia in cooperation with city administration, the Indonesian Real Estate Association and the Kompas group.

The municipal administration, which is planning a land reclamation project along Jakarta's north coast to accommodate a growing population, pledged that the reclamation will not damage the environment. An analysis on environmental impact is currently being prepared for the project.

Udin said other effective methods to expand the city include the establishment of new satellite cities and land intensification method.

The development of new satellite cities within the greater Jakarta area, such the Lippo City in Tangerang, is the realization of Jakarta's administration initiative introduced in the 1980s, he said. This initiative is designed to meet the steadily rising demands for housing, and at the same time spread the development of Jakarta to the eastern or western directions.

Udin said the land intensification is now being encouraged by the city, especially in areas which have high levels of economic value. The method, applied through the establishment of high-rise buildings, is aimed at taking the maximum benefit from the limited availability of lands.

The method is stipulated under Governor Decree No. 678 dated May 31, 1994, which allows developers to build a building with more than 32 stories, he said.

The method enables the city to not only build more parks, but it also helps the city's programs in urban development, he said, adding that the land intensification method is also applied to anticipate the sharply rising growth of population.

Udin said the population of Jakarta, which occupies an area of 65,000 hectares, increased from 3 million in 1961 to 8.25 million in 1990.

"With a growth rate of 2.4 percent a year, the population of Jakarta is projected to reach 9.2 million people this year," he said.

Chances

Gunawan Tjahjono, a lecturer of architecture of the university of Indonesia, said the city still has chances to grow since the population of Jakarta is not as dense as New York, Hong Kong or Tokyo.

TB Rais said the Jakarta administration is determined to develop the city according to Decree No. 678, making Jakarta a service city comparable to any other international capital.

Rais said the decree is issued to anticipate the growth of Jakarta's population, which is estimated to further increase to 12 million by the year 2005, when over five million jobs will be needed.

Based on previous city planning, buildings over 32 stories high were restricted due to the limited availability of supporting facilities such as fire engines with long ladders and major roads to facilitate traffic flow heading for the city's business centers.

In addition to national funds for the financing of city planning, the city administration is inviting foreign investments to help develop the property sector, he said.

Higher projections in property investments in Jakarta is not an ambitious idea because 63 percent of the national currency distribution is in Jakarta, he said, and 55 percent or Rp 65 trillion (US$28 billion) of the country's total foreign borrowings of Rp 120 trillion ($55 billion) circulates in the capital.

The Kuningan golden triangle in South Jakarta has attracted investments worth Rp 11 trillion ($5 billion) over the last ten years, he added. (mas/22)