I’m the mother of a daughter who is almost 7 years old. I consider myself green, as I work for a nonprofit conservation organization. I am happy to learn that my daughter wants to follow in my footsteps as a guardian of nature. She recently changed her mind from wishing to be an accomplished painter to becoming a passionate nature lover. Saving orangutans, dolphins and komodo dragons is her ultimate aspiration – at least for now before she changes her mind again.

Sadly, the type of activity that I mostly offer my mini-me on weekends is going to different shopping malls.

I am not proud of this. I have read several studies that confirm the relation between cognitive development and the great outdoors. They say being close to nature is proven to be beneficial for cognitive functioning, reduction of the symptoms of Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) and increases in self-discipline and emotional well-being at all developmental stages.

I believe, the more disconnected city dwellers are from natural landscapes, the less people understand how their well-being is inextricably linked to the health of the natural world.

You may call it a lame excuse to blame the Jakarta municipal administration, but it is notorious for not providing enough green areas for city parks and promoting more and more malls instead. In contrast to celebrated public parks in more developed cities around the world like Ueno Park in Tokyo, Lumphini Park in Bangkok, Flagstaff Gardens in Melbourne and Beihai Park in Beijing, many of Jakarta’s public parks are neglected and have no interesting facilities.

Take Lincoln Park in Chicago for example. A model urban park that sprawls 1,200 acres on the border of Lake Michigan, Lincoln has a surfeit of green space for visitors. With a zoo, beautiful gardens, a nature museum and loads of sporting facilities – from a golf course and a baseball field to tennis, basketball and volleyball courts –  Lincoln Park is indispensable to city life.

These city parks exist not only for residential recreation, but for tourists to delight in as well. One could spend a day there and not suffer from boredom. The parks serve as a healthy escape from the chaotic, hectic pace of urban life.

Back home in Jakarta, malls have slowly started taking over the function of Jakarta’s parks, operating as public spaces. It comes as no surprise because malls are home to lots of attractions that pamper all human senses. People can see and be seen, exchange gossip, wine, dine, shop till they drop and experience a wide range of options. They apply the one-stop shopping service concept. It’s what all the developers have on their minds and it justifies more mall constructions.

However, as a mall-crawler not by choice, I yearn for parks where I can rest and relax, go on a picnic, fly a kite with my daughter or partake in other activities. If there were more comfortable and safe parks similar to Taman Suropati and Menteng, I would definitely prefer parks to malls. After all, nothing beats the green grass and fresh air.

I believe many other citizens share this simple dream. Our children need parks, and it’s up to us to help introduce them to nature. Otherwise my daughter will someday change her dream to wanting to be a land-greedy mall developer.  

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