Sutiyoso calls for waterfront revival project
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)