Jakarta's Old Town set for makeover, once again

Many of the whitewashed Dutch-era buildings in the north-western part of the Indonesian capital have been neglected by their owners for decades, and some have trees growing through collapsing roofs.

But that could change soon.

Popular Jakarta Governor Joko Widodo, who took office in 2012, last month kicked off a new project to revitalise the Old Town, pledgingto return the 284-hectare district to its former splendour and turn it into a tourist attraction.

“Please don’t invite me to anymore meetings. Let’s do it now,” said Widodo, speaking in a ceremony marking the start of the project. “I’m sure it can be done this time.”

Widodo, the former mayor of Solo, has a reputation for getting things done and is a favourite to win the country’s July 9 presidential election.

Previous attempts by the city government to restore Old Town were unsuccessful, largely because of a lack of cooperation by individuals and private companies that own many of the buildings there, officials said.

Today, parts of old Jakarta have a reputation for seedy clubs and shops selling pirated goods. During the widespread flooding that hit Jakarta in February, the area was inundated by 80-centimetre-deep water.

To kick-start the restoration efforts, the city government has set up the Jakarta Old Town Revitalisation Corporation, backed by several major property companies.

A group of architects, artists and business people have established the Jakarta Endowment for Art and Heritage to work together with the government to support the project.

More than 80 historical buildings and sites are to be renovated, with investment estimated at US$6 billion (Bt193.1 billion) in endowment fund contributions. In one colonial-style post office building in Fatahillah Square, the second floor has been transformed into an art gallery displaying works by Indonesian artists.

About 60 per cent of the buildings in Old Town are owned by private companies and individuals, while the rest belongs to state-owned companies and the city government, officials said.

A restored Old Town would be a breath of fresh air for many Jakartans, who are growing tired of the proliferation of modern shopping malls in recent years, with little attention paid to public spaces such as parks and pavements.

“It’s not only buildings and infrastructure that will be revitalised but also arts and cultural activities,” said Goenawan Mohamad, a poet and adviser to the project. 

“There will be regular arts and cultural performances in the old town.”

Owners who renovate their buildings will be given incentives in the form of large tax discounts, while those who neglect their properties will be subjected to steep penalties, said Arie Budhiman, the head of the city’s tourism department. 

The government will build a ring road and parking buildings to ease the notoriously heavy traffic in that part of the city, he said.

“The area will be pedestrian friendly so that people can walk from one place to another easily and comfortably,” he said.

Old Town, also known as Old Batavia – the name for Jakarta under colonial rule – was built by Dutch colonisers in the 16th century.

“There have been about 30 proposals to revive the old town since the 1970s, but I think this one has the best prospects for success with Jokowi at the helm,” said Elisa Sutanudjaja, programme director atthe Rujak Centre for Urban Studies, using the governor’s nickname.

“The challenge so far has been that many of the property owners don’t see the value of preserving historical buildings,” she said. “Some of the buildings have been destroyed by their owners and there’s also a silly rule that bans the conversion of buildings into other uses than their original purposes.

“There are also fears of gentrification – an influx of middle-class people at the expense of poorer residents – once the project is completed,” Sutanudjaja said. “It happened in East Berlin. After the reunification, the German government made a lot of investment and the arrival of wealthy outsiders contributed to rising housing prices,” she said. 

“Efforts should be made that to prevent such things from happening to Old Town,” she said.

Aisyah, a 56-year-old woman who has squatted in a roofless old building in Old Town for more than 20 years, said she feared the project would leave her homeless. Along with five other people, she has built makeshift rooms of plywood and plastic sheeting as the roof within the building.

“I don’t know where I will live if the owner decided to rebuild it,” said Aisyah, who makes a living selling coffee and instant noodles outside the building. “I’m worried I will end up living on the street.”