Reviving Old Town: Jakarta, West Java

By Barrie | June 1st, 2007 | No Comments

During the week, the city administration invited non-governmental organization Pacific Rim Council on Urban Development (PRCUD) to discuss the issue of reviving Jakarta’s Old Town. With experience in heritage revitalization in 15 cities — in South Korea, China (Nanjing), Singapore and Malaysia (Malacca) — and counting, PRCUD will engage in round table discussions to devise a strategic plan for Jakarta’s Old Town. The Jakarta Post’s Anissa S. Febrina spoke with PRCUD president Cor Dijkgraaf on the possibilities for the plan.

Question: People have repeatedly pointed to the Old Town’s decline. What can actually be done with it?

Answer: I will begin by saying that the Old Town is unique. It has, for an Asian town, a large area of heritage. If you do not like the architectural heritage from a cultural aspect, at least see the economic aspect it offers. And if I look at other Asian and European towns, heritage is important as a source of income and employment. The renovation of buildings is creating more employment than constructing new ones would, as it creates more jobs from people visiting it later on.

Nearby, Malacca in Malaysia attracts five million tourists a year. That is the number of those who at least stay one night, not a day visit. It is a small town with less heritage than Jakarta, but they can sell it. Similarly, European cities generate a lot of income from their heritage.

Jakarta must be very, very rich if it can ignore its heritage. It is a matter of having the vision.

Another thing: The number of Asian tourists is growing. You now have a rising class in mainland China. They want to travel and see attractive places.

Then, of course, tourists are not coming there to look at old buildings. They would like to go to cafes, a place to sit. There are so many nice places here, such as the courtyard in Museum Keramik, but you do nothing with it. You should have some souvenir shops. In fact, what you have on Jl. Surabaya — an antique goods center — should be in the Old Town. Then, it becomes attractive.

Indonesia is prone to security threats and there are concerns that if it is only sustained by tourism, once we have such problems again, it will decline. Could we also insert other functions for the Old Town?

If the Old Town becomes a cultural center, it should not be only for foreign tourists. It should also be for the local inhabitants who would still go there on Sunday afternoons on the condition that there are activities.

And it has to cater to different markets of tourists. Those from Holland, Japan and locals have different expectations. In European cities, the heritage area is also for the local people themselves.

A cultural center is still the most suitable function because the business center has moved to (the main thoroughfares of) Thamrin and Sudirman. Shops can reside there, not big malls, but small ones selling antiques, secondhand books, old maps.

How should we best deal with the socio-economic problems in Old Town?

If you can get different functions, then (the condition) can change. First of all, you need strong political commitment. Otherwise, forget about it.

The government has to take the lead to start improving it, not only one street for pedestrians. That is not enough. There has to be some real efforts, then the private sector will move in. They will not open shops there now because there is nobody. And since there is nobody, there are criminals hanging around. Once it is fully active, it will be completely different.

In Malacca, the government is taking the initiative, then you get the little shops opening up.

Considering the government’s limited resources, is it possible to form a public-private consortium to revitalize the Old Town?

It is possible, as in many places around the world it works like this. You set up, let’s say, the Kota Tua Development Company or something like that. The private sector will always look to whether there is real political commitment from the government.

Only then can you make a deal. Investors will say: “We will renovate the buildings, provided you make a nice pedestrian (area) and proper public transport.”

There is another role for NGOs, such as the Jakarta Old Town Kotaku. They represent small-scale businesses that are interested.

The changes in Glodok, where the government has renovated and planted trees, is an example. Suddenly, the shops are painting their buildings and it looks so much more attractive.

So, you see, if the government does a little bit, the private sector will do more.