60 cities, regencies ready to go green

JAKARTA: Public Works Minister Djoko Kirmanto said on Tuesday that 60 cities and regencies in Indonesia, or 12.35 percent of the total 491 regencies and cities in Indonesia were ready to go green.

They comprise 34 cities and 26 regencies, including Yogyakarta, Nganjuk in East Java, Baubau and Kendari in Southeast Sulawesi.

“These cities and regencies have initiatives to implement a green concept, therefore we will give them incentives,” Djoko told a press conference at his office during the celebration of the 4th annual World Town Planning Day in Indonesia.

He said that the incentives would be funds whose budget allocation would be proposed by the ministry next year.

Djoko said that the concept of “going green” in cities was necessary, due to intense urbanization and low availability of open spaces. “As of today, 52.03 percent of the population of the country lives in cities. The percentage might increase to 68 percent by 2025,” he said.

In accordance with a law dated 2007, a green city should implement the allocation of 30 percent urban areas to green areas, comprising 20 percent public spaces and 10 percent private spaces.