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One Instagrammable spot at a time in Jakarta
Grind it out: Skateboarders practice at the Dukuh Atas Cultural Park in Central Jakarta on Aug
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rind it out: Skateboarders practice at the Dukuh Atas Cultural Park in Central Jakarta on Aug. 25. The park is situated on a 2,000-square-meter area under the footbridge linking Dukuh Atas 1 and 2 Transjakarta bus stops.(JP/Wendra Ajistyatama)
Photographer Dwi Prasetya enjoys his walk from the Sudirman commuter train station to Dukuh Atas MRT station in Central Jakarta on his way to his office on Jl. Sudirman.
Between the stations, he walks through the renovated Kendal underpass. The former U-turn ramp is now for pedestrians. The underpass has white walls and lighting that changes color every few minutes.
“Not only is it now pretty, it is also comfortable to walk through,” he told The Jakarta Post on Wednesday.
“Besides Kendal, sidewalks along Jl. Sudirman are now convenient, too. So much so that I sold my motorcycle because I no longer needed it. The sidewalks are pedestrian-friendly and the view is pleasing to the eye,” he added, laughing.
Dwi went on to say that the changes had improved the ambience of the area and encouraged more people to walk. He often sees people gather and do various activities like cycling, skating or simply enjoying their time chatting and taking pictures on mobile phones.
Some keep the photos for personal use, while others choose to share them by posting them on social media like Instagram.
The Kendal underpass and sidewalks along Jl. Sudirman are among many of the facilities that have been built in the city that serve not only their main function, but have also become Instagrammable, or a scenic stop for people to take pictures and post them on social media.
Just a stone’s throw from the underpass is another new area called the Dukuh Atas Cultural Park.
The area, which was inaugurated in August, is situated on a 2,000-square-meter area under the footbridge linking Dukuh Atas 1 and 2 Transjakarta bus stops.
The area has a skate park and a small amphitheater for art performances. There is also a raised viewing platform with stairs connecting the two sides of the sidewalk where people can enjoy the park’s scenery.
At night, yellow lamps set in the floor and under the railings light up the park, creating a pretty setting in which to take selfies.
Earlier this month, people were surprised to see the roof of a pedestrian bridge over Jl. Sudirman had been removed. The bridge connects the pedestrian area in front of Wisma Bumiputera to the Astra Tower.
Jakarta Bina Marga head Hari Nugroho said the bridge’s roof had been removed to enhance pedestrians’ experience so that they could enjoy the view of the capital’s skyline while crossing the bridge.
“There will be elevators, too. We will no longer use overhead lighting; lamps will be installed along the floor. The view will be even better,” Hari said.
It was not the first time infrastructure has been revamped for aesthetic reasons.
Ahead of the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta, one of the hosts of the Games along with Palembang in South Sumatra, three footbridges near the Gelora Bung Karno (GBK) sports complex, also on Jl. Sudirman, were developed in the same manner.
Anies Baswedan, the city administration aims to develop 50 parks each year.(JP/Rafaela Chandra)" title="Day out: Two men take photographs of family members on a tree bridge in Kembang Kerep Park in West Jakarta on Nov. 9. Under Governor Anies Baswedan, the city administration aims to develop 50 parks each year.(JP/Rafaela Chandra)" width="780" height="508" border="0">
The bridges are in front of the Jakarta Police headquarters, at the GBK and the Senayan traffic circle.
Unlike regular footbridges, they have silver poles, black railings, wooden tiles and yellow lighting.
At night, LED lamps along the GBK bridge exude colors that can be changed, depending on a certain event or theme.
In March, the bridge was lit up in the colors of the New Zealand flag — red, white and blue — for a week, following terror attacks at two mosques in the city of Christchurch.
In April, the bridge was illuminated in the colors of the Sri Lankan flag — gold, green, orange and maroon — to show that Jakarta stood in solidarity with the country after a series of blasts on Easter Sunday.
The new footbridge connecting LRT Jakarta’s Velodrome Station with Transjakarta’s Pemuda bus stop in Rawamangun, East Jakarta, has a similar concept to bridges on Jl. Sudirman.
It is not just major thoroughfares that have undergone such development. Other bridges in densely populated areas in Central, South and North Jakarta have had makeovers as well.
As seen in a recent post by Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan on his personal Instagram account, he recently inaugurated the Ketupat Bridge in a residential area in Gambir, Central Jakarta.
“We are building Jakarta while at the same time providing a pleasant walking experience for all people,” he wrote in
the caption.
The Ketupat Bridge above the Krukut River links two kampungs in North Petojo subdistrict. The frame design was inspired by the shape of ketupat (rice wrapped in palm leaves).
In North Jakarta, there is the Kerang Hijau footbridge that has been designed to look like the shell of kerang hijau (green mussel).
Pedestrian Coalition head Alfred Sitorus said incorporating aesthetics in developing public facilities was acceptable as long as the facilities served their intended purpose.
“No matter how pretty a bridge or a sidewalk is, it will mean nothing if it is not accessible for everyone,” he said recently.
“Before making certain facilities [aesthetically pleasing ], the city should first make sure that people with disabilities, children and the elderly will be able to enjoy them too. Otherwise, it will be a case of wasting money on unnecessary things,” he added.
