Jakarta growth unchecked: Expert
Jakarta growth unchecked: Expert
JAKARTA (JP): The capital has rapidly grown as a metropolis
without proper city planning, which can be seen from
irregularities in public activities and daily life, according to
experts.
Speaking at a one-day seminar here on Thursday, dean of the
School of Technique of Indonusa Esa Unggul University, Jo
Santoso, and director of the Center for New Town Development
Studies at De Montfort University Milton Keynes in the UK, Mervyn
Dobbin, said much of the available planning had been improperly
implemented.
According to Santoso, the city administration was too
accommodative toward private developers, such as by too readily
issuing building permits for projects.
"The root of the mistakes is the (Jakarta) administration's
decision to hand over the development of the city to the private
sector by claiming the local government does not have enough
money to do so," he said.
As a result of the irregularities, the city still has to face
a growing number of slum areas, regular floods in many
residential areas and a greater number of neglected housing
complexes due to bad planning on, among other things, access
roads and a lack of public facilities, Santoso explained.
He reminded that developers, as businesspeople, would put
emphasis on the profitability of their projects.
"They emphasize their business interests more," Santoso said.
He suggested the Jakarta administration discard its old
concept and reasoning by first studying people's needs before
developing projects in certain areas.
Thus, he added, the administration would not immediately grant
permits for just any development proposal by private companies
before anything was clearly studied.
Dobbin, who along with Santoso was a main speaker at the
seminar, said the city planning problems in Jakarta were similar
to those in other major cities in Asia.
Local city planning was and remains out of control, he added.
Like most Jakartans, local communities also play no role in
drafting the planning, Dobbin said.
He therefore said it was not surprising that Jakarta still
faced so many urban problems.
He proposed that the Jakarta administration learn development
strategy in various big European cities where administrations
take a more participative and consultative approach in their
projects.
"The Jakarta administration should, for example, inform people
on what is planned," he said.
According to Dobbin, a decent partnership between developers
and local communities would provide better human settlements.
He also suggested the central government cease its involvement
in city planning and development and instead leave them in the
hands of the local government.
The discussion on the growth of new towns approaching the
third millennium was held at Tarumanagara University in West
Jakarta.
In line with Dobbin's idea, Santoso questioned the reasons why
the Jakarta administration did not to involve the public in
drafting city planning. The current plan is valid until 2010.
"Actually, the administration should involve people when
drafting city planning. People's involvement is needed so that
their needs are accommodated in the planning," he said.
Worst, he added, information concerning city planning is not
disseminated among the public. (ind)