Jakarta’s only public spaces now seem to be its malls. In this hot tropical country, air-conditioned plazas and malls provide a comfortable place to cool down.

Shopping is not the only pastime here, as malls have become recreational places for the family and an integral part of Jakartans’ lifestyle.

Indeed the existence of malls as a commercial facility, alongside traditional markets, conventional shops or small kiosks (warung), has implications on the direction of the city’s development as well as the mobility of its residents.

There used to be some differences between a plaza and a mall, but it is now difficult to differentiate, because both are in a luxurious huge building in a strategic location and have a similar one-stop shopping concept.

In line with today’s urban lifestyle today malls have outlets that provide all your daily needs in additio...