Jakarta: Designing mobility for liveable and social cities

Even though Jakarta seems trapped in a vicious cycle of suburbanization and dependence on private vehicles, public transportation and non-motorcycle-based mobility, such as walking and cycling, have managed to soar, especially in the unusual circumstances of the COVID-19 pandemic. This study by Elisa Sutanudjaja shows the existing socio-ecological challenges and opportunities for public transport planning in the world’s second-most built up urban area.

The city faces the lasting consequences in hampering sustainable mobility system development through construction of toll road networks, which in duet with suburbanization, has worsened congestion and air pollution problems. It is a business that despite such impacts remains thriving. At the same time, Jakarta is also demonstrating signs of decongesting hope after progressive efforts from the government such as extending public transportation incentives, implementing integration projects and following transit-oriented development models. “Integration” has become the new buzzword of Jakarta’s mobility strategy to simplify the public transportation system and brought about positive changes in increasing public transportation users.

Citizen groups, civil society groups, and foreign institutions are heavily involved in the process of shaping mobility policy towards a better, sustainable, and equitable city. A major concern for them is a lack of consideration for people with disabilities, the elderly, children, and pregnant women, absence of monitoring and enforcement mechanisms for road safety, and various other security and safety risks, especially in occurrences of sexual harassment against women.

It remains to be seen how the planned development of a new capital under the name of Nusantara on the island of Borneo will impact environmental sustainability of Jakarta.