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ast month, Jakarta Governor Fauzi Bowo closed down and sealed off a gas station on Jl. Sudirman to symbolically close down 27 gas stations and convert the areas into green strips. The Jakarta Parks and Cemeteries Agency announced that the 27 gas stations would be closed by the end of the year and their closure would add another 10,505 square meters of green areas in Jakarta (The Jakarta Post, Nov. 11, 2009).

The conversion of gas stations into green areas is to meet the target for green areas in Jakarta as stipulated in the 2000-2010 spatial plan to cover 13.94 percent of Jakarta's total 63,744 hectares by 2010.

In 1965, more than 35 percent of Jakarta was green area, but this has been shrinking ever since. Currently, green areas in Jakarta account for only 9.3 percent of the city's area, far less than the target of 30 percent set by the 2007 Spatial Planning Law.

The governor's action is commendable for converting gas stations into green areas because of two main reasons.

First, the decision by the Jakarta administration to close down gas stations and convert them into green areas is a good precedent for implementing spatial plans.

Over the years, the spatial plan seems to have become a legal document that is neither fully enforced nor implemented.

The 27 gas stations are located in areas designated as green areas in the 1965-1985, 1985-2005 and 2000-2010 Jakarta spatial plans.

For many years, the city conceded to the powerful owners of the gas stations and could neither enforce nor implement the spatial plans.

In March 2008, the city proposed the plan of the gas station conversions, but was rejected by the Jakarta City Council. This year, the city resubmitted the proposal and was approved by the newly elected Jakarta City Council.

Second, we must put a stop to the disappearing of green areas in Jakarta. Green areas are an important urban element that can help make cities self-sustainable and more livable.

Annual floods in Jakarta indicate the urgent need for green areas in the capital, because they absorb rainwater and help avert flooding.

New homes, condominiums, malls, hotels and commercial and office buildings have proliferated in Jakarta over the last three decades. These new developments have come at the cost of green areas and have decreased water catchment areas, making the city more prone to floods.

Not only will the conversion of gas stations into green areas add to the green areas, but it will also contribute in preventing annual floods in Jakarta.

The cost of closing down and converting each gas station is around Rp 75 million, and I would argue that the benefit of the conversion of gas stations into green areas will be much more than Rp 75 million over the years. In addition to reducing the risk of floods, the new green areas will beautify and make Jakarta more livable.

I would also suggest that the green areas close to residential areas be designated as recreational parks. These parks will serve to build healthy, strong and vibrant neighborhoods and will benefit the city even more.

The conversion of these gas stations into green areas will also cut back the city's carbon dioxide emission levels. The green areas can act as sponges for such pollutants.

The decision by the Jakarta administration to close down the gas stations and convert them into green areas in order to comply with the Jakarta spatial plan is a good move and should be appreciated.

Not only will this decision become a good precedent for implementing the spatial plans in Jakarta or even in other areas in Indonesia, but will also provide a lot of benefits for the city and its residents.