The Slums of Tambora: When Jakarta's Old Coastal Areas Are Sidelined by the Golden Triangle

JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com - The Tambora area, now known as one of Jakarta’s most densely populated regions with numerous slum neighbourhoods, harbours a long historical irony. This district, which grew up near the coastal trading centre of Batavia in the past, has now been left behind as Jakarta’s development direction has shifted to the Golden Triangle areas such as Sudirman, Thamrin, and Kuningan. An urban planning expert from the University of Indonesia, Muh Azis Muslim, assesses that the slum conditions and overcapacity in Tambora are not solely the fault of the residents, but rather the long-term impact of Jakarta’s city planning failures since the past. “Modern urban development has tended to focus on the Golden Triangle areas, both in Sudirman, Thamrin, and Kuningan. This is what has made Tambora no longer a priority, as its economic activity areas have begun to shift,” Azis told Kompas.com on Friday (8/5/2026). According to Azis, Jakarta’s modern development is too centred on new business districts, while the old coastal areas that once formed the city’s economic pulse have gradually been marginalised. “This shows development policies that do not favour the Tambora community, tending to be neglected,” he said. He stated that the root problems of the area are closely linked to the early history of Jakarta’s growth, which began from Sunda Kelapa Harbour, the Old Town, Tamansari, to Glodok as Batavia’s trading centre. “Originally, Jakarta started from Sunda Kelapa, the port, the trading centre in the Old Town, Tamansari, Glodok. Well, Tambora here is on the fringes,” said Pangestu when met by Kompas.com on Thursday (7/5/2026). When the trading centre became bustling in the past, fringe areas like Tambora then developed into residential spots for workers and migrants. “It was already bustling there, well here might be their living places. With limitations and piling up here,” said Pangestu. He noted that the area has long been inhabited by a heterogeneous society from various ethnicities and backgrounds due to ongoing urbanisation flows over hundreds of years. The economic development of the coastal area, initially centred in the Old Town and Tamansari, also continued to expand to Tambora. “And then the economy in the Tamansari area expanded to here, Tambora, to Tanah Abang, to other parts of Jabodetabek,” said Pangestu.