He stressed that the new capital city development should be supported with the latest technology so that the city could become a home for innovation and creativity while being environmentally friendly. Renewable energy and clean technology will result in sustainable lives for social and economic development, he emphasized at the time.

This is in line with another government initiative to create 100 smart cities in the country. Cities such as Jakarta, the West Java capital of Bandung and the South Sulawesi capital of Makassar have been working to transform themselves by applying technology to various aspects of the people’s lives.

Transforming an existing city into a smart city is a difficult task, since the degree of change required may be very disruptive for the people currently living in that city. In contrast,

Indonesia’s new capital city in East Kalimantan is like a blank canvas on which the government can paint from scratch anything it desires or dreams of. It is like starting anew to build a better city, and we are in the rare situation of being able to design the new city from the ground up and to create a smart city that could become a model for all cities in Indonesia in the future.

How should we design and build a smart city?

A smart city is not just about its technology: first and foremost, it is about serving the people living in the city, visiting the city, or otherwise engaging with the city. We should not use technology gratuitously, but instead to serve the people and make their lives better. Therefore, the design of a smart city must start with understanding the need of the people and envisioning how they will live in their future city. The design goal is to provide the best experience for people in the city.

Take transportation, for example. What will be the best overall experience for people who need to go from one point to another within the city? National Development Planning Agency (Bappenas) 2017 data showed that traffic congestion in Greater Jakarta caused annual losses amounting to Rp67.5 trillion (US$4.7 billion). Jakarta’s traffic congestion has been notorious as some of the worst in the region and became one of the reasons for the government to move the capital city to East Kalimantan. It also reduces life quality of the people living in the city as they have to spend hours stuck in traffic daily. The design of the new capital city must solve these issues.

President Jokowi’s wish of having only electric vehicles (EVs) roam around the new capital city’s roads can be seen as an enabler for a more efficient public transportation system that will better support the smart city creation. The currently low penetration of EVs among individual Indonesians can lead to increased public transportation use while the government can also push for deployment of electric buses and electric trains as means of public transportation in the new capital city. In the end, fewer vehicles mean more space for people, creating a better experience and a more livable city.

Another important consideration is energy use. The new capital should have a smart environment and resources management system which uses more renewable energy, among other things, to create a clean and inclusive city. Homes can be built pre-equipped with solar panels participating in a smart grid to achieve Net Zero emissions right from the beginning.

To paint such an astonishing vision into reality, thoroughly considered urban planning is needed.

The government should start the process based on future inhabitants’ wishes, in order to better map the needs, requirements and proposed policies even before the designing process commences. The government needs to identify who “the customers” are and begin a dialogue with them. It can start by conducting a survey for the ministries’ civil servants to learn their concerns, wishes and hopes for the city, which will be their family’s new home.

It needs to gather inputs from private citizens and consult with embassies and representatives from international institutions to gain more insights from their perspectives. It also needs to listen to the business community to understand their needs and get ideas on how to better serve businesses.

Let us not forget that as Indonesia’s new capital, the city needs to serve people from the entire nation and not just those living in it. Currently, people who need to interact with the central government have no choice but to travel to Jakarta. COVID-19 puts a stop to this. Habit and mindset around physical meetings have been forever disrupted.

The interesting challenge for the new capital city is how we can create a new and better experience for interaction between the government and people, both physically and virtually. If realized, this would create momentum to realize a digital government faster, which would in turn make the government run more effectively at a lower cost, at the same time improving the quality of engagement with all stakeholders, including those from other countries.

Effective Communications and deep understanding will form a strong foundation for the new capital city construction in the future. In the end, people want to live in a livable city where they and their family can thrive and unlock their maximum potentials.

The writer is PwC Indonesia smart cities leader

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