Jakarta Desperately Needs More Parks
In my previous post, I talked about my amazement as I first arrived in Sydney knowing that tap water is here is drinkable. Another thing I like the most about Sydney is that it has lots of parks, public spaces and green open spaces. It is a totally different situation in Jakarta when it comes to green infrastructure. This type of infrastructure is seriously lacking in Jakarta. I addressed this issue in one of my academic writings as my entry to a writing competition (awarded the first prize) in my undergraduate. In this work, I wrote about the roles of public-based green open spaces as flood-prevention strategy in Jakarta.
Aerial view of a green belt as one the few available green open spaces in Jakarta (kompas.com 2012)
Sydney's green open spaces cover approximately 46% of the total city area. Jakarta, on the other hand, has around 10% of green space of its total city area. An Indonesian government regulation mentions that the ideal percentage of green space should be at least 30% of the total city area. Jakarta is far below this target, and way far below Sydney and other cities in the world. Below is the comparison of percentage of green space of different cities in the world.
Percentage of Green Open Space of Cities (skyscrappercity.com 2013)
In 1965, Jakarta's green open space was 37.5% of its total city area. This number is getting smaller as the urbanization takes place. In 1985, the number decreased to 25.85%. The worst was in 2000 when the green spaces covered only 9% of Jakarta. Recently, the number slightly increased to around 10% due to the eviction of several slum areas and conversion of these areas into green spaces. Uncontrolled development of slums (as a result of urbanization, population growth and inability to afford formal housing) in the green space area has been accused as the main cause of Jakarta's green space deficit.
Sufficient green open space is vital to the livability of a city. What I suggested in my work is to promote active participation of the public to create and manage green open space and make a good use of them for their own benefits (especially flood-prevention). Urban farming, as I covered earlier in my previous post, is the most viable strategy to engage the public in preserving green space. Besides providing water-sensitive urban element to prevent flood, people-based green open space strategy is also important to promote psychological and physical health of the people, create comfortable urban micro-climate, reduce pollution and CO2 emission, and act as a source of food and income.
References:
Fauzi, R 2007, Konsep Ruang Terbuka Hijau (RTH) Berbasis Masyarakat Sebagai Solusi Pencegahan Banjir Di Jakarta, (The concept of Public-Based Green Open Space as Floor Prevention Strategy in Jakarta), Jakarta.
