In his speech to commemorate World Habitat Day this year, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said "Urban planning will work only when there is good urban governance, where the urban poor are brought into the decisions that affect their lives, and where corruption is honestly tackled".
The pearl of wisdom from the UN chief is like a hammer hitting the nail on its head. Without a good government, without actively including the city's underprivileged citizens in the decision making process which will affect their lives, and without the honest and striving effort to banish corruption, city planning in the entire country will not do much good.
The Indonesian City Governance Association (Apeksi) once stated, that more than 80 percent of city plans in Indonesia had not been carried out as they should have been. While The Economist in its recent edition focused on the problem of "Economic Vandalism" which caused the recession and the collapse of the world economy, in the city planning discipline and profession it could be said to have experienced "Urban Planning Vandalism".
Countless infringements and violations of city planning went without penalty or reprimand for the guilty party. It is actually more acceptable when the one doing the vandalism is in the private sector, which translates as the profit sector, orientated toward short-term financial gain. But there are many instances which show that the vandals are the urban managers - civil servants - who have been entrusted with the duty to manage our cities.
The impact can already be felt. Parks, playgrounds, sport fields, all of which fall under the category of green open spaces, magically disappeared and are morphed into commercial buildings. Various ancient historical buildings that are the country's cultural heritage are destroyed to give way to soulless modern and post-modern buildings. Slums and squatters spread uncontrollably in all directions.
The marginalization of the city's underprivileged citizens is becoming much worse, widening the gap between the rich and the poor. The traffic jams are getting more and more packed, due to delays in the mass transportation development plan caused by scores of factors, including the influential lobby from car manufacturers. Urban sprawl adds to the difficulty of providing the infrastructure.
The worst example can, ironically, be found in Jakarta, the foremost face of our country. As someone who was born in a rural area, I was astounded to see a luxurious skyscraper apartment building built in a graveyard in central Jakarta. An alluring view is commonly a sea view, a mountain view, a garden view or a pool view. But in this particular apartment building, the view offered is of a cemetery.
I was further astonished by the fact that there was a graveyard that had been transformed into a government building. In my hometown, a cemetery at the periphery of the town is truly respected, treasured even. The term "town cemetery" is known as "setana" or "palace". There would be no one who had the courage to turn a palace into a housing complex or an office building. They believe it would bring bad spirits and evil into their soul.
We should not forget that a cemetery falls into the category of a green open space, which has to be preserved.
The city planning regulation states that a city must own 30 percent of green open spaces, of which 20 percent should be public green open space and 10 percent be private green open space.
How spacious is the green open space in Jakarta? Only 9.8 percent, far from what is actually required.
How can Jakarta tackle the floods that happen every rainy season, considering its water catchment areas and green open spaces are so diminished? Not to mention the climate change phenomenon, carrying with it the negative impact of rising sea levels. Someday, maybe not too far in the future, Jakarta in its entirety could be submerged under water.
Another troublesome example is the transportation system in general. While in the 70s Bangkok was being mocked with the title of the most congested city, and it was even said that the main road in Bangkok was the longest car park in the world, at the start of the 21st century this mocking title had been acquired by Jakarta.
It is common knowledge that the best alternative to the traffic problems in Jakarta is a Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) underground or above ground system, so as not to take away any of the currently available road space, as is the case with the busway. This is like scratching the skin to alleviate an itch instead of curing the disease causing the itch.
The twin sins of "center mania" and "urban sprawl" are no less bothersome. The former is the madness of building everything gigantic in the already packed city center. The latter is the uncontrollable spread and development of a city which is invading the surrounding areas. Jakarta is currently suffering from severe obesity; its movement grows slower and more difficult by the minute and it is susceptible to numerous urban diseases.
The immediate action to save the city comprises of two major aspects.
The first one is the procedural planning aspect as stated by Ban Ki Moon, which refers to a good government, democratic decision making processes, and significant corruption eradication.
The second aspect refers to a more realistic, pragmatic, but also visionary long-term substantial planning aspect.
To implement this, several strategic and valid steps are needed.
First, to evade the tendency of urban ecological suicide, by maintaining the existence of available green open spaces, adding new green open spaces, and implementing green city principles.
Second, to build a well-balanced public transportation system and reduce the necessity of private vehicles, which would save a lot of energy and should alleviate the negative effects of carbon emissions and greenhouse gases.
Third, to evade the tendency of "center mania" and "urban sprawl" by maintaining a dynamic balance between urban and rural areas, supporting the development of new independent cities, creating human-scale well-adjusted cities.
Fourth, to lessen the economic gap between citizens, which has the capacity of sparking social jealousy, by planning a community which has social solidarity, avoiding exclusivity.
Fifth, to put into play the programs which give leeway for an equal and balanced distribution of natural, human, financial, institutional and technology resources.
The new principle of transmigration programs, where the rural develops (instead of rural development) and climigration (the movement of citizens due to the impact of climate change), currently made famous by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (Development and Cooperation, September 2009) can be employed as one of the foundations to save our cities in the future.
The writer is head of Forum Keluarga Kalpataru Lestari (FOKKAL), and professor of architecture and city planning (UNDIP), Semarang
