A

lively discussion on urban issues took place on a recent hot Saturday at a coffee shop in Lenteng Agung, South Jakarta.

'€œWe hold discussions once a week '€” every Thursday or Saturday,'€ said Mirza Jaka Suryana, the owner of Epikurian coffee shop. '€œTopics of our discussions vary, from politics to urban planning.'€

Located across the Lenteng Agung railroads, Epikurian looks no different from other shop-houses in the area. It has no particular stand-out feature, with the shop'€™s name simply displayed on a wide black window.

The smell of coffee and tobacco fills the air as its door swings to open.

Unlike most coffee shops in the capital, Epikurian has no trendy furniture and is furnished with wooden chairs and tables usually used in classrooms.

On one side of the shop, a wooden shelve stands tall with piles of books and a helmet on it. On another side, six piles of books sit on wall units.

Its modest interior, however, does not stop visitors from coming in and engaging in the discussion.

Jaka, who is a book translator, said that he established the coffee shop in May this year in an attempt to provide people not only with coffee but also '€œbrainstorming sessions'€.

Thus, according to Jaka, he regularly meets with his co-worker Wishnugroho Akbar to decide topics and speakers for the weekly discussions.

In the recent Saturday discussion, Jaka and Wishnu invited urban expert Marco Kusumawijaya to lead a brainstorming session on building the future of Jakarta.

The discussion began with Marco'€™s speech about basic problems in Jakarta, such as garbage and water management.

Only around 10 people took part in the session but as time passed, more people joined in, occupying all empty chairs and spaces in the shop.

Around 23 people were present when a female moderator opened the question and answer session, in which almost all participants engaged.

The session heated up when Marco and environmentalist Elisabeth A. Issantyarni discussed their ideas to improve the lives of Jakartans, who face issues such as flooding, such as those living near the Ciliwung River.

Elisabeth, who goes by the name Betty, suggested that the city administration move these people to housing not prone to flooding, such as low-cost subsidized apartments, without ignoring their livelihood.

She went on to say that the city administration should help them maintain their jobs or provide alternatives.

Marco immediately rejected her idea. '€œYou should put yourself in their shoes,'€ Marco said, adding that people accustomed to living with floods were usually low-income people.

The heated yet lively discussion went on for about two-and-a-half-hours. However, the idea-sharing session continued after the discussion as the participants and Marco engaged in personal discussion about the same topic.

'€œSharing sessions like this are necessary for change to happen,'€ Betty said. '€œFrom discussions like this, people will be able to find solutions to resolve our problems.'€ (agn)