Sutiyoso calls for waterfront revival project
JAKARTA (JP): Governor Sutiyoso called on Friday for efforts to develop Jakarta Bay's coastline into a more appealing area to anticipate further growth of the city.
"The goal is to realize the potential of the Jakarta Bay coastal area and the waterfront will become an important strategic area for the city's future," he said in a prepared speech, adding that the goal was "vital".
Sutiyoso was speaking to participants of a one-day seminar on waterfront cities, which was jointly held by the city administration, City Waterfront Implementation Board (BPR Pantura), the Ministry of Settlement and Regional Infrastructure, state-owned housing developer Perum Perumnas and the Indonesian chapter of the ASEAN Association for Planning and Housing (AAPH).
The governor also acknowledged that most residents still used the sea, lakes and rivers to dump waste.
"Jakarta has the longest toilet and the largest garbage dump in the world," he said jokingly, referring to Ciliwung River and Jakarta Bay.
"It's my dream to turn the bay and its coastal area into something like Tokyo Bay or the Baltimore coastline," he said. He called on all parties to help shift the waterfront to the forefront of settlement.
Minister of Settlement and Regional Infrastructure Erna Witular, who officially opened the seminar, said she supported the shift of settlement from land to water, while rebuking the centralized planning policy during the New Order regime.
"We must return to our diversified culture, including our water-related traditions, which was destroyed by the centralized policy," she said in a prepared speech.
"The settlement should, for example, use local materials of bamboo posts and wood, instead of a brick and mortar construction," she added.
Erna also emphasized the importance of an environmentally friendly approach to waterfront settlement.
"We must, for example, consider the environmental consequences when the restoration work is to be done. This seminar can disseminate proven environmentally friendly methods," she said.
"I also call on participants from overseas to share their past mistakes so we can learn from them and make necessary shortcuts," she added.
The seminar discussed three main topics, namely the integrated coastal development and environmental perspective; new life to the waterfront considering its cultural, economic and social potentials; and regional experience in revitalizing waterfronts.
During the seminar, most speakers referred to well-established sites, such as Clark Quay in Singapore; Kampong Air Bandar in Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei Darussalam; Kuching Riverfront in Serawak, Malaysia; and Metro Manila in the Philippines.
After the ceremony, Erna told The Jakarta Post that waterfront development did not mean large-scale development with a large amount of capital.
"That only applies to tourist resorts, and we can't build the entire waterfront area for tourism, which is indeed expensive," she said.
"We can apply the principle of our traditional housing, which uses local materials and traditions," she added.
Erna pointed to the fact that most waterfront settlements were wooden houses built on stilts to avoid floods and high waves.
"The most important thing is to improve the residents' economic ability through an integrated waterfront settlement concept," she said. (nvn)