Anissa S. Febrina, The Jakarta Post/Jakarta
Some love it out of romanticism for the past, some fight for its conservation because of its architectural value, but few focus on the everyday problems faced by those actually living in Jakarta's Old Town.
According to a socio-economic study this year of the heritage area by the Urban and Regional Development Institute (URDI), the Old Town's spatial master plan has overlooked basic problems such as housing.
Despite having a reputation as a somewhat deserted part of the city, the Old Town actually has a higher population density than Jakarta's average.
""Although the Old Town covers 1.73 percent of Jakarta, its population represents 2.64 percent of Jakarta,"" the study says.
In Jakarta, including the Old Town, high population density is far more likely to mean a lot of poor quality housing, not high-rise living.
According to the Jakarta Statistics Agency, some 41.7 percent of houses in the area are temporary and semi-permanent and occupied by middle to low income earners.
This reality has prompted many outsiders to label much of the Old Town slums.
Ancol, Penjaringan, Tambora, Roa Malaka, Pekojan and Jembatan Lima are subdistricts known for poor housing.
The improvement of these areas has been rarely mentioned in forums discussing the revitalization of the Old Town. The focus has instead remained on the core of the Old Town and its museums and architecturally valuable old buildings.
But if you take a closer look at these neglected subdistricts, the picture isn't just of dysfunction and threat. The areas can also promise strength and opportunities.
Kampong Balokan behind the BNI'46 building, for example, hides a group of pottery traders from Central Java. The traders supply to every markets in the capital.
Meanwhile, despite its ramshackle appearance, kampong Luar Batang has a certain zest, born of the everyday energy of its local residents.
The core of the Old Town also features the city's most unique professions, from bicycle taxi drivers, nomad fortune teller and floating scavengers.
After mapping the area, Old Town Green Map volunteer David Hutama explained that his group's survey revealed that ""the revitalization of (the Old Town) should focus more on the people instead of reminiscing about history through the buildings.""
Heritage buffs may argue that once the area is developed for tourism, the trickle down of money will help poorer local areas.
But more often than not, in other heritage tourism spots worldwide, local inhabitants often come to live ""in a jar"", their lives and lifestyles geared to the tastes of outside tourists.
The URDI report also highlights examples of disastrous past preservation efforts, where careless revitalization has both harmed local residents and devastated long-term redevelopment plans.
While some Old Town stakeholders are interested in seeing the administration step up revitalization to save the heritage value of the area, local communities are more interested in seeing improvements in their everyday lives.
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