Commuting in and out of Jakarta is characterized by packed buses, crowded trains, congestion and pollution. While apartment buildings proliferate, attracting residents with their “investment potential”, the poor are gradually pushed to the periphery. It leads to a burning question: Who belongs in the city?

We tend to forget that Jakarta extends beyond the special capital region (DKI). In developing business centers, we are left with the issue of finding space for housing and other residential needs. It makes us wonder whether or not a director general or deputy minister should coordinate the capital.

Jakarta is home to 9.7 million people at night, but 12.7 million people inhabit the city in the daytime according to 2014 data. The disparity of 3 million people can be accounted for by adults who commute to the city by day but reside outside the city with their families...