Decades of development have turned Dukuh Atas in South Jakarta into the capital’s major transportation hub, leaving no trace of the duku (lanzones) plantation area that once gave the place its name.

Lanzones trees as tall as 30 meters used to be a common sight in Dukuh Atas, with the fruit — resembling small potatoes in color and grapes in shape — dangling from the branches. Pedati (horse or cow-drawn carts) would fill the streets, loaded with the bittersweet fruits ready to be distributed to various areas, including Batavia, today Jakarta’s old town, better known as Kota Tua.

Historian Akhmad Sofiyan said a map from 1625 showed that Dukuh Atas used to be filled with duku trees, hence the name.

“Dukuh was a hilly area, located on the northern bank of Jakarta’s West Flood Canal. The area was divided into the uphill Dukuh Atas and Dukuh Bawah at the foothill, presently known as [the subdistrict of] Setiabudi,” Sofiyan said.

A railway line connecting Batavia with Buitenzorg (now Bogor) built in the early 1870s also cut across the Dukuh area, paving the way for horse-drawn trams and later electric trains to carry not only plantation crops, but also people.

However, as decades passed, only the railway remains.

The area is turning into the capital city’s hub, a process that, according to Sofiyan, apparently began soon after Indonesia’s independence in 1945, when the thoroughfares of Jl. Sudirman and Jl. MH Thamrin were built.

As Dukuh Atas connects the two roads, development in the area moved fast, including during the 1960s in preparation for the 1962 Asian Games in Jakarta.

Office buildings and shopping centers standing tall over the area have long replaced the duku trees. The plantation workers, meanwhile, have been replaced by rushing white-collar employees.

Pedati are no longer in sight as people line up to board Transjakarta buses, which began operations in 2004, at the two Dukuh Atas bus stops. A recently renovated pedestrian bridge, decorated with hexagons that glow at night, connects the two stops.

Commuter trains linking the city with satellite areas also operate on the existing railway, departing from what is now Sudirman Station.

To the west of the station lies BNI City Station, which provides Railink services to and from Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Tangerang, Banten, which has been operating since 2017.

The most anticipated breakthrough will be a three-story underground station for the MRT system, which is expected to begin operating this March. It stands in between the two stations, reaching 26 m deep.

Meanwhile, the Jakarta light rail transit, which is still under construction, will also be added to the list of transportation options in the area this year.

A Dukuh Atas transit-oriented development center will be built on a plot of land where the Blora Market used to stand for decades. It will integrate the transportation systems with nearby office buildings and shopping centers.

With the better, integrated transportation infrastructure, property developers are setting their sights on areas near new public transportation stations.

The proximity of a property to public transit has become a selling point in its own right, which property agents will not forget to mention in their brochures or when talking to potential buyers.

This did not go unnoticed by Tri Uminarsih, 42, a Setiabudi resident who has been living on Jl. Karet Kaya less than 3 kilometers from the Dukuh Atas MRT station for 20 years.

“I have figured out that my house is located within the ‘golden triangle’. Property developers might be looking to buy my house to build their projects,” she said.

Tri said she could sell her land to developers at a high price, ranging from Rp 20 million (US$1,420) to Rp 40 million per square meter.

She admitted that she did not know whether those figures were appropriate, explaining that she had only followed the calculations of other residents.

She said Dukuh Atas had changed drastically and for the better, adding that the frequently damaged roads and reckless bus drivers she used to put up with in the past were no longer in sight.

She said she might sell her land, although not in the near future.

“I signed up for land certification last year, so I will feel safe once I decide to sell my house later. However, I have not received the certificate to this day,” Tri said. (ars)