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Nusantara: Building a lean, green engineering machine
The Nusantara development project presents an opportunity to build a model green city not only for the well-being of Indonesia, but also for the entire world.
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Model dream: The final design of the presidential palace by sculptor Nyoman Nuarta for the Nusantara Capital City (IKN) development project in North Penajem Paser regency, East Kalimantan, is seen in this illustration uploaded to the artist’s Instagram account in June 2022. (Instagram/Nyoman Nuarta)
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hat do the Eiffel Tower, Big Ben and Marina Bay Sands have in common? Are they all engineering marvels? Are they all located strategically downtown, at the heart of the modern hustle and bustle in their capital cities?
They do attract attention, that’s for sure. But let’s imagine if we could build an engineering marvel in the middle of the rainforest, a lean, green engineering machine.
Behold, Nusantara: Indonesia’s new capital city, a strong contender for the model city of the future, being developed in the middle of the Kalimantan forest that has been dubbed one of Earth's three “lungs” after the Amazonian rainforest and the Congo River basin.
According to the World Bank, 4.4 billion inhabitants live in cities in 2023, compared to 1 billion in the 1960s. Global urbanization is quickly heading toward a rate of 70 percent by 2050. This rapid urbanization has triggered disproportionate environmental footprints and disruptive impacts in cities.
Cities accommodate over half of the world's population yet consume three-quarters of Earth’s resources and generate three-quarters of global waste and emissions.
Cities are inflecting harmful impacts on the planet. Urbanization is often seen as a major obstacle to restoring global ecological balance, in addition to global warming, relentless loss of biodiversity and catastrophic climate change. Cities worldwide need to alter their net zero mindset and become more ambitious. Cities must take it further and strive to become carbon negative.
Vienna has been named the world’s most liveable city for the second year in a row, according to a CNBC report on the annual index released by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU). The Austrian capital blends culture, entertainment, robust infrastructure and high-quality health and education services with abundant open green spaces.
