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fter a forced eviction last month, followed by a string of harsh statements from Jakarta Governor Basuki '€œAhok'€ Tjahaja Purnama against Kampung Pulo residents, the governor reopened a dialogue with the residents'€™ facilitator, Ciliwung Merdeka.

Last Friday, Ciliwung Merdeka was invited by Ahok to discuss the development of a kampung susun (elevated village), in Kampung Pulo, East Jakarta.

There was no explanation for Ahok'€™s about-face.

Ciliwung Merdeka, accompanied by a number of architects and scholars from the Urban Academicians Forum, presented their ideas and design of a community-based vertical village.

'€œThe governor agreed to our design concept and even said that he had dreamed of developing a kampung so rich in such dimensions,'€ Ciliwung Merdeka leader Sandyawan Sumardi told The Jakarta Post over the weekend.

Sandyawan said that the design of kampung susun was focused on anticipating population growth, overcoming flooding, solving the clean water crisis, fixing sewage issues and a number of other concerns.

Sandyawan said that Ciliwung Merdeka had cooperated with the Urban Academicians Forum to draft the design.

The forum consists of many distinguished and reputable scholars, such as Edwin Husni Sutanudjaja, a geographical hydrologist from Utrecht University, Ariel Shepherd, an architect from University College London, Iriana Pasaribu, a children and youth geographer from the University of Groningen, John Taylor, an urban planner from Harvard University, and Roanne van Voorst, a lecturer in social and cultural anthropology at the University of Amsterdam.

Sandyawan said that Ahok had also asked for kampung susun to be completed with various facilities such as a type D hospital, a mosque and schools.

Ciliwung Merdeka and the scholars are slated to develop kampung susun in other urban villages, such as Tanah Tinggi, Central Jakarta.

'€œWe will hold discussions with the academics and residents to determine our next step,'€ Sandyawan said.

Separately, City Housing and Building Agency head Ika Lestari Aji said that the city administration had agreed to fulfill the request from the scholars and would give time to Ciliwung Merdeka to gain approval for their design from residents.

Ika said that the city administration had offered to compensate residents in the form of an apartment units. She said that if the residents owned 100 square meters of land equipped with a land certificate, they would get 150 sqm in the form of a unit in the apartment building. If residents owned 100 sqm of land complete with a customary land appointment, they would be compensated with 120 sqm.

'€œWe will give time to Ciliwung Merdeka to hold dialogues with the residents in order to gain approval. She went on to say that the city administration would rely on private firms to fund the construction of kampung susun.