ABSTRACT
Asian cities are confronting common challenges related to environmental sustainability, the consequences of international financial crises and the impacts of climate change. Jakarta has been dealing with multi-faceted problems of environmental degradation for several decades; it was severely affected by the Asian monetary crisis in the late 1990s; and it is one of the most vulnerable cities in Southeast Asia to flooding, which is likely to be exacerbated by climate change (Yusuf and Fransisco, 2009). To these critical threats must be added unresolved problems of population pressure that reinforce urban agglomeration and drive the continuing expansion of the Jakarta city-region. A range of approaches and strategies has been adopted over the last 20 years or so to address Jakarta’s problems and anticipated threats, but good and effective governance for the city-region still seems hard to attain. This chapter assesses the achievements of these past efforts and explores Jakarta’s vulnerability to a range of current risks, including those related to climate change. It begins with a description of the Jakarta city-region and of the historical governance arrangements and development issues that have shaped the city as it is today. The authors then review current demographic, traffic, environmental and economic challenges facing Jakarta and discuss emerging strategic responses to date. The main theme of the chapter is the continuing inadequacy of governance and planning arrangements for the metropolitan region and the need to address this as a matter of great urgency if Jakarta’s high level of vulnerability to flooding and other environmental risks is to be reduced.
