Nine cities recognized for success with slums

The government has chosen nine of Indonesia's cities to serve as models in the reduction of slum areas through engaging with the public in city planning.

Despite Jakarta's efforts to beautify the city and remove its slums, the capital did not make it onto the list.

Palembang in South Sumatra; Surakarta and Pekalongan in Central Java; Yogyakarta; Surabaya and Blitar in East Java; and Balikpapan, Bontang and Tarakan in East Kalimantan were chosen by the Public Works Ministry and State Ministry of Public Housing as cities demonstrating the most successful urban planning practices.

"These cities show successful city planning is a participative undertaking that includes all stakeholders," Public Works Ministry's Cipta Karya division director Budi Yuwono said on Wednesday. Cipta Karya manages housing and residential infrastructure. Budi is also the head of the Habitat Indonesia National Secretariat, an interdepartmental organization working to mainstream the UN Habitat agenda to end homelessness and create sustainable urbanization.

Surakarta, he said, "chose a very humanistic approach in dealing with its sidewalk vendors with up to 50 meetings with vendors eventually leading them to move their stalls independently."

NGOs and activists have long complained about Jakarta's heavy-handed approach to residents. To make way for the renovation of Ayodhya Park in South Jakarta, for example, the city demolished hundreds of stalls belonging to fish and flower vendors surrounding the park on Jl. Barito, ignoring the vendors' proposal for a tourist-friendly design.

Another forced eviction turned violent when the city removed 1,400 squatters from BMW park in North Jakarta to make way for a soccer stadium.

To commemorate World Habitat Day on Oct.5, the Public Works Ministry and State Ministry for Public Housing will hold an exhibition in Palembang on urban planning best practices.

According to the Habitat Indonesia National Secretariat, Palembang has successfully revitalized the Musi river's upstream and downstream areas, providing areas for housing development.

Public Works Ministry spatial planning director Imam Santoso Erwani said more and more people were moving to cities.

According to the National Development Planning Agency (Bappenas), slum areas in Indonesia increased at a rate of 2.9 percent per year from 47,000 hectares to 54,000 hectares between 1999 and 2004.