Old city to get face-lift next year

Damar Harsanto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

After years of little or no progress in reviving the historic downtown area of Kota, West Jakarta, Governor Sutiyoso's administration plans to take major steps toward developing the area in 2006.

The first step toward achieving this goal will be to declare the neighborhood around the Jakarta History Museum a vehicle-free zone.

"Governor Sutiyoso will meet with the owners of old buildings in the area to hear their opinions about the plan sometime in January. Hopefully, we can start developing a vehicle-free zone in February," Jakarta Culture and Museums Agency head Aurora "Lola" Tambunan said at City Hall on Monday.

The vehicle-free zone would cover Jl. Pintu Besar Utara, Jl. Kunir and parts of Jl. Pos. Its center would be the area directly in front of the history museum, which authorities hope to transform into a spacious plaza that would cater to tourists.

"In addition to the tourist attractions we hope to build, there will also be cultural events in the plaza," Lola said without providing details.

She said the city administration would also set up a tourist information center in the area.

The administration hopes that by developing the area it will trigger greater economic activity, which in turn would draw in private investors to help conserve the historic quarter.

Once the center of commercial and business activities during the Dutch colonial period, the area is now known for its dilapidated buildings, pollution and traffic jams.

According to Lola, the Jakarta Transportation Agency is conducting a study on the potential micro and macro-effects of the revitalization program in the area.

In addition to revitalizing the neighborhood around the Jakarta History Museum, the administration also wants to develop other locations in Kota, including Jl. Pancoran, Jl. Kali Besar and Sunda Kelapa.

"Through the initiative of this administration, we also expect and are awaiting contributions to this program from the building owners, just like with the pedestrian project on Jl. Thamrin," she said, referring to the widening of sidewalks along Jl. Thamrin, which was partly financed by building owners.

The cofounder of the heritage group Jakarta Old Town Kotaku, Santi L. Poesposoetjipto, welcomed the initiative, saying many of the building owners in the area would support the program.

"Many investors will be interested in developing the area into a commercial complex should we manage to improve the transportation infrastructure and clean up the environment," said Santi, who also owns a building in Kota.

Transportation is the main impediment to developing the area. According to a survey last year, an average of 2,400 vehicles per hour passed through Kota's narrow road network, resulting in chronic congestion.

The administration said earlier this year it planned to relocate the Kota railway station to ease traffic in the area, with the old train station building to be used for other purposes, including as a shopping center.