ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on the discussion on the form of the city: size, density, systems sustainability, liveability, urbanism, post-urbanism, all such things that seem appropriate to address but, while not irrelevant, they are not what is most important. Jakarta is one of the world's most at-risk delta cities, and like many others is sinking. It is also exposed to a continual risk of flooding. It has a growing population of ten million, and is within a greater metropolitan area of twenty-six million, some parts of this area are below sea level. The city is located at the convergence of thirteen rivers. The dumping of industrial and domestic waste, including from 'informal developments', has degraded all these river catchments. For existing cities it is not that the threats of climate change, and the associated relational impacts, exist somewhere out in the future.
