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Flying cars or pie in the sky: IKN smart city dreams called ‘too ambitious’
Nusantara Capital City (IKN) is a megaproject of unrestrained ambition, as the planners of Indonesia’s future capital envision facilities straight out of science fiction.
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Work is ongoing on May 12, 2023, in the project area for the construction of Indonesia's future capital city in East Kalimantan. (Nusantara National Capital Authority/-)
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usantara Capital City (IKN) is a megaproject of unrestrained ambition, as the planners of Indonesia’s future capital envision facilities straight out of science fiction, from smart buildings powered by renewables to flying cars.
However, questions about how realistic such plans are grow louder by the day, as the inauguration deadline nears for what some say might be the single biggest contributor to President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo’s legacy.
The money to build it all is nowhere to be seen, notwithstanding the availability of almost all of the required technology.
Nusantara is scheduled to be inaugurated next year, when Indonesia celebrates its 79th anniversary of Independence on Aug. 17. When asked whether its basic smart city infrastructure would be ready by then, IKN Authority undersecretary for green and digital transformation Ali Berawi answered, “Inshallah [God willing].”
Ali said the basic part of building a smart city was its connectivity infrastructure, which included electricity distribution and fiber-optic internet. As part of the first phase of construction, both are to be delivered by the city's inauguration.
Cables for these, explained Ali, would be placed underground inside what is known as multi-utility tunnels (MUT), which would also house the city’s piping and sewage system for convenient maintenance.
Followed by the construction of command and data centers, the technology infrastructure for the first phase of IKN, or the central government area, would then be ready for the implementation of further smart city features, said Ali.
