JAKARTA, a
Growing Metropolis
The rapid growth of mixed-use property
in Jakarta, property that combines shopping center
and office, residential, and apartment buildings,
has limited space available for housing for the
middle-and-low income group. The big developers
prefer high-and-low income group. The big developers
prefer high-rise constructions over the less
profitable ‘people’s housing’ scheme.
With the assumption of 1.29 percent
annual population growth, Jakarta is predicted to
have 10.4 million permanent residents in 2015. In
2005, the demand for housing accommodation had
already reached 562,046 units, while the available
land for housing was only 39,691 hectares, from
Jakarta’s total expanse of 66,152 hectares.
Despite the sluggish economic growth
caused by rising fuel process and the wait-and see
attitude of foreign investors, not to mention
decreasing consumer-spending, property development
in 2006 continued to expand with the construction of
exclusive products such as the Sideman Plaza and the
renovation of the Hotel Indonesia complex into a
combined superstore, apartment, office , and a
five-star hotel establishment. The latest addition
in this property business is the Senayan City now
under construction across from the Plaza Senayan in
South Jakarta. To improve its brand image, Senayan
City has appointed artist-cum-model Nadya Hutagalung
as its ‘brand’ ambassador.
Expansion of the big property business
in the metropolis has moved the demand for
medium-scale housing southwards to Depok and Bogor,
respectively about 25 km. and 60 km. south of
Jakarta, and to Tangerang to the west and Bekasi to
the east. These municipalities and regencies have,
in a short span of time, become ‘satellite’ cities
attached to Jakarta. As a large number of people
living in these neighboring areas work in Jakarta,
they must commute by train and car. Hence, a
discourse has been launched by urban experts and the
Jakarta Special Territory administration on the
possibility of establishing an integrated metropolis
comprising Jakarta proper and the said adjacent
regions.
Jakarta, meanwhile, continues to try to
cope with the transportation problem, which has not
improved. The main impediment is the volume of
automotive vehicles which surpasses the capacity of
existing roads. The introduction of the Trans
Jakarta bus way last year, which has recently
been extended to 15 corridors connecting the city’s
south-north, and west-east parts, has had a positive
response from the public, but inadequate feeder
transport systems and a lack of parking facilities
force many people to continue to use their own motor
vehicles for going to the office.
Jakarta lags well behind neighboring
countries like Singapore, Malaysia, and Thailand in
the development of the public transportation. The
monorail, governor Sutiyoso’s pet project to improve
Jakarta’s public transportation system and projected
for operation in 2007, appears to be hung up on
indefinite funding problems. A would be investor
from a Middle Eastern country, reportedly interested
in the monorail project, asked for a government
guarantee on the investment, a matter which is
apparently still under consideration, according to
informed sources.
The construction of concrete piles for
the monorail project started in some parts of the
city as soon as Governor’s Sutiyoso decided to give
the concession to Pt Jakarta Monorail established by
PT. Indonesia Transit Central (ITC) and Monico
Singapore Pte. Ltd. In May 2004. The plan was for a
‘green route’ covering Jakarta’s city center, of
14.3 km. in length with 16 stations. A ‘blue route’
was planned to reach from Kampung Melayu in the east
to Taman Anggrek in the west, 9.7 km. long with 11
stations. An additional route of 3.8 km. and four
stations was to be constructed in the apartment and
commercial area of Taman Anggrek itself.
In principle, the selected routes are to
connect public congregations at those points and
transfer points to another mode of transportation.
For example, Pasar Tanah Abang, the biggest textile
wholesale market in Indonesia, if not Southeast
Asia, would be a transfer point for train passengers
from Serpong - Tanah Abang exiting at the Pal Merah
station. As the monorial station will be located
exactly in front of Pasar Tanah Abang, it will be
very convenient for people wanting to shop in the
market to go by monorial. Train passengers from
Serpong and Bintaro could ride the monorial to their
offices in the Kuningan, Sudirman, and Gatot Subroto
areas.
Jakarta as a tourist
destination
Notwithstanding the still-unresolved transportation
problem, Jakarta is an interesting place for
sightseeing, entertainment, and recreation. The bus
way merely helps to provide speedy and comfortable
transportation where it is available.
The old town of Jakarta, Jakarta Kota,
still retains several old colonial buildings and
museums, among others the Fatahillah (history)
Museum, the Wayang (puppet) Museum, the Fine Art and
Ceramics Museum, and the Museum Bahari (Maritime
Museum), as well as the vibrant commercial area of
Glodok, Jakarta’s China Town.
The
National Monument or Monas, with its ‘eternal flame’
of 33 kg. Of 28-carat gold, built by the country’s
first president, Soekarno, is the capita city’s
landmark. It is located in the city center facing
the Merdeka Palace on the north. The Gambir railway
station on the east, the City Hall (where Governor
Sutiyoso has his office) on the south and the
National Museum on the west. The spacious park has a
city forest with paths for waling under the shade of
the huge lush trees., a ‘singing’ fountain, and a
road for sado (two-wheeled horse-drawn carriage)
riding. Visitors can enjoy a beautiful view over
Jakarta city from the top of the monument connected
by a lift. In the basement is a museum with dioramas
depicting the history of Indonesia’s struggle for
independence and development.
On Jakarta’s cost is the very big Ancol
Fantasy Land, with Disney-like entertainment and a
variety of local cultural presentations, a sea
World, and a dolphin show. The Ancol Marina is a
yacht port and embarkation point for tourists
visiting resorts in the Kepulauan Seribu, or
Thousand Islands, in Jakarta Bay.
On Jakarta’s southeast rim is the Taman
Mini Indonesia Indah,
beautiful-Indonesia-in-Miniature park, with
traditionally structured buildings from most of
Indonesia’s provinces, a big lake with miniature
islands as a map of the archipelago and a sky-train
overhead, a bird sanctuary, an orchid garden, and
houses of worship of Indonesia’s major religions. It
is a very popular place for Jakartan’s and non-Jakartan’s
alike, as an entertainment-cum-educational park.
