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Urbanists: Creativity, innovation necessary for more green in cities
Jakarta currently spares only 10 percent of its land for green open space, a far cry from the 30 percent national law mandates by 2030.
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Urban escape: A family enjoys the view of a small waterfall in the Hutan Kota (Urban Forest) at the Gelora Bung Karno (GBK) sport complex in Senayan, Central Jakarta, in this file photo. (The Jakarta Post/Seto Wardhana)
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luggish progress on expanding public green spaces in Jakarta reflects not only a lack of political will on the part of the administration but also a need for private parties to make land available, experts have said.
Jakarta currently spares only 10 percent of its land for green open space (RTH), a far cry from the 30 percent national law requires by 2030.
The 2007 Spatial Planning Law stipulates that every city designate at least 30 percent of its total land area to RTH. To share the burden of achieving that, it prescribes that each city make available 20 percent and private enterprises or individuals 10 percent of the designated breathing space.
The city administration’s apparent unwillingness to acquire land has given rise to pessimism about the odds of Jakarta setting aside 30 percent of its 661.5 square kilometers of land for public open spaces.
Niken Prawestiti, an urban planning activist and founder of RTH search engine ayoketaman.com, said in a recent public discussion that the greatest potential for increasing RTH in the capital lay with the private sector.
“In the case of Jakarta, where land prices are high, the city administration could provide incentives, such as tax exemptions, for private corporations or individuals to entice them to donate land to be used as green open space for the community.”
Trisakti University urban development expert Nirwono Joga sees indolence on the part of the administration, and he wants to see city leaders take a more aggressive approach to achieving the target.
