Jakarta Curbs 'Chaotic' Urban Planning

Govt moves to curb 'chaotic' urban planning
3 March 2006
The Jakarta Post

In the quest to create better living conditions, the government has submitted a draft law on urban spatial planning that proposes greater allocation for public facilities and greenbelt areas.

It would replace a 1992 law, which is now considered inadequate in addressing increasing problems of urban areas, including flooding and traffic congestion.

The draft law, formally submitted by Public Works Minister Djoko Kirmanto at a House plenary session last week, was accepted for further deliberation during a working session with the legislature's infrastructure commission Thursday.

"We may revoke their construction permits or demolish the buildings," Djoko said of possible sanctions against irresponsible developers, adding that the lack of strict regulation and supervision had resulted in a "chaotic" situation in urban areas.

All factions on the House's infrastructure commission agreed that harsh sanctions against parties that violate spatial regulations, including government officials who approve projects.

"Sanctions should be imposed not only against developers who violate the law, but also the permit issuers," Abdullah Azwar Anas of the National Awakening Party told The Jakarta Post .

Many developers and urban planners have paid little attention to the loosely enforced planning restrictions.

The conversion of residential areas to commercial usage -- including in Kebayoran Baru and Kemang in South Jakarta -- was ranked the second most common violation after the more frequent but less serious infraction of expanding building lines.

"In the future, we hope that such cases will not happen," Anas said.

According to the bill, the government must allocate 40 percent of the total area of a city as public space, 30 percent of which is designated for greenbelt areas.

Land designated for public space, the draft says, can only be used for "casual" activities, such as sport, recreation and temporary trading.

Djoko said the draft law was also aimed at accommodating the demands of regional autonomy, under which local administrations were given more authority to administrate their regions.

"We will make a clear distinction in the regulatory content of national spatial planning, provincial spatial planning and the spatial planning at regency levels," he said, adding that regulations issued by the central and by local governments should be complementary.

Inconsistency in regulations issued by the central government and those of local governments has often led to violations of planning regulations.

To overcome the problem, the government would implement a zoning system to regulate issuance of construction permits under the proposed law.>