Rebuilding Aceh: new towns, new hope

Gordon G Benton Jakarta

It is more than likely that there will be an unholy battle over the desolation in Aceh and North Sumatra on who is going to rebuild the infrastructure, towns and villages.

From reports and information gleaned from the media, it seems abundantly clear that Banda Aceh and the other towns destroyed by the tsunami on Dec. 26 cannot be rebuilt on what's left of these towns' foundations -- for that is what largely remains.

With such huge percentages of the populations killed whilst in their homes, in the streets or on the foreshore and beaches, how can anyone seriously consider building on what has become essentially a massive graveyard? Our compassion is for those that have died and our very real desire as human beings must now be to protect and save the survivors.

Secondly, on a less emotional, but rather more objective level, is the reality that any attempt to restore or rehabilitate the infrastructure and buildings on these urban sites would be both impractical and hugely expensive. Areas of the towns have been inundated with tsunami-borne sand and other jetsam; other areas where houses stood and roads ran, have been torn out and now lie under the sea.

The alternative is both a solution and an opportunity. There is an alternative to rebuilding these urban entities back on their own foundations, probably at less capital cost and at the same time offer the provinces new hope and peace of mind.

That is to rebuild on new selected sites, away from what must now be left a memorial park.

The government has powers of compulsory acquisition, alas seldom used, when it seemed to be important to do so. The process of course must be transparent and clearly carried out in a manner fair to the property owner and with regard to the well-being of the nation.

With a proper evaluation of each destroyed town or village, followed by a selection of sites for the relocation and settlement of the new town, the government, through its compulsory purchase powers, must designate the areas to be acquired.

Given the nature and extent of the catastrophe that has befallen the people of Aceh and North Sumatra, surely this process of the identification and design could be completed in three to six months.

The planning and building of the first critical phases of the townships could be such that the first settlers would be housed within 12 months-- in other words in 15 to 18 months from now.

This could be reduced to possibly nine months if temporary housing was to be built-- for later upgrading and/ or used as a transit home. The simple 20 foot container can be adapted for everything from very simple abodes to sophisticated power plants and hospitals.

The new town locations do not need to be remote from the old. Indeed as the pain wears off, the survivors, as well as the new citizens, will want to walk over the old town area, perhaps to cry a little over the past or to be just reminded of the immense and sudden power of nature.

The original town sites could be designated as national memorial parks, which while retaining some of the remnants of the lost civilization, all would be landscaped to give walk- and cycle-ways, nature trails, giving back these relatively small but hugely significant pieces of Indonesia back to nature.

Mangroves would be replanted, indigenous trees and plants laid out perhaps in an arboretum concept-- not in a formal man-made regimented design but as if by the hand of nature. Indonesia has enough expertise to do a wonderful job here.

What about those who can prove ownership of a lot or part of the destroyed town? Or those who are relatives of these deceased land owners, or what about those who believe they own or have rights over a particular or property but have no documentation to back it up. There will be a great many in this last category. But there will be a number who will want to take advantage of the chaos to claim what was never theirs.

Whilst this will in may cases seem to be an almost impossible situation to resolve, much of the charity offered to those very people should and surely can be translated into a simple land- transfer offer? 'Socializing' is an Indonesian word that surely could be used here to good effect. Most of the criminals will be exposed by bonafide survivors.

The government has to set up what we could call an 'Urban Renewal Authority' -- a body which would orchestrate the urban plan, then prepare the individual lots -- for handing over to survivors (or whatever terms), and for sale to new settlers or for auction (appropriate for commercial lots).

This would not all happen at once but a start must be made immediately on site selection, land alienation, macro and micro planning. Whilst the government is well aware of its responsibilities in this crisis, it is my contention that the Indonesian private section professionals in urban planning, infrastructure and architectural design, site evaluation, sociological structures -- not forgetting local cultural, language and 'know-how' -- can and should be invited as important and pivotal partners in this immensely important work.

Many Indonesian firms today have had excellent experience in urban settlement design. They are now well used to working with overseas professionals offered specialized experience, and these would naturally be called up to aid in the work.

Can they be trusted with carrying out this task in an organized, responsible and effective manner, incorporating the latest urban technologies, whilst keeping in mind local concerns of course.

I have to say here that there must be leadership -- from those experienced in such work -- and an overall standards' code to which all professionals must adhere. This has to include clear rules on the handling of contracts and overall fiscal accountability.

Decisions on the provision of drinking or non-potable water for all, sewer treatment or septic tanks, traffic-calmed roads or a free-for-all, enforced building regulations or letting 'beggar thy neighbor' attitudes prevail, have to be decided from the start. And at this point, surely this is the one real opportunity to set a benchmark for all new developments in Indonesia.

How these development plans can be orchestrated, and, as importantly, how these hopefully modern townships are to be managed, can be the subject of another presentation, but there is a role there too for the professionals in the private sector.

From disaster can in this way come fortune for the people of Indonesia in general and Aceh and North Sumatra in particular. This extraordinary opportunity should not be lost, Indonesians' own expertise should not be forgotten under the glare of other more powerful interests?

The writer is an architect and urban planner who has worked in the region for 40 years. This is a personal view.