SMALL IDEAS TO TURN JAKARTA INTO AN ECO-FRIENDLY CITY
Prayogi, Republika

According to Jones Lang LaSalle Indonesia (international property consultant), the growth of skyscrapers in and around DKI Jakarta between 2009 and 2012 reached 87.5 per cent. This puts Jakarta as one of the fastest growing city in terms of how many skyscrapers are built within a certain period of time. Meanwhile, based on 2011 data release by the Regional Development Agency (Bappeda) in DKI Jakarta, the amount of green open spaces (RTH) in Jakarta comes to no more than 9.8 per cent of the city’s total area. Land constraint becomes a major issue in developing larger green open spaces in the capital city area. Therefore, the public’s active role and cooperation are required.

The easiest way to add green open spaces in Jakarta is by planting trees in each plot of land within residential areas. Private green open spaces will surely add to the total size of the city’s green open spaces. Because when the process and bureaucracy of land acquisition for the purpose of turning the city into an eco-friendly space are no longer effective, it is the public’s duty and responsibility to create an eco-friendly environment in and around their living spaces—therefore creating an oasis in the middle of a concrete jungle. There are many ways we can help achieve this target, such as by planting a tree in a small plot of land, growing a plant in a small pot, or creating a vertical hanging garden.

The initiative launched by the residents of Kampung Hijau deserves praise. By taking an active role, the people of Kampung Hijau have helped add more green open spaces in Jakarta. After a long day working in the middle of a concrete jungle, they come home to a plush and beautiful living environment. They are showing us that anyone can take an active role by doing simple things to help turn the city into an eco-friendly metropolitan.

For me, empowerment is a process where individuals and groups of people are doing their best to maximize on the potential of taking control of their own lives and shaping the future into what they want it to be.