The Indonesian parliament has approved a bill to relocate the capital from the city of Jakarta to a completely new city to be built on the island of Borneo, 1,300 kilometers from the current capital. The decision, first announced in 2019, comes as a reaction to the myriad of challenges faced by Jakarta, including pollution, traffic congestion, and, perhaps the most threatening, rising sea waters.
As a consequence of excessive groundwater extraction, rapid urbanization, and rising sea levels, 40% of the city is currently below sea level, making it increasingly difficult for the infrastructure to protect the residents. President Joko Widodo proposes an alternative: relocating the administrative center of the country to a new green metropolis, to be named Nunsantara, meaning ‘archipelago’ in ancient Javanese.
As concerns regarding the quality of water and air, traffic, and the risks of flooding were the most pressing issues, Joko set out to improve the network of public transportation and to build and raise sea walls. He also proposed the building of artificial islands to protect Jakarta’s shores. All of these solutions prove to be temporary as waters continue to rise.
Now Joko’s approach has changed, focusing instead on creating a new beginning for Indonesia, a new planned city adapted to the changing climate. In environmental jargon, this strategy is known as “managed retreat.” It represents the purposeful and controlled withdrawal of communities from at-risk land. Indonesia’s decision represents perhaps one of the most extensive representations of this strategy. While it has many critics and it faces political opposition, this new city presents both challenges and opportunities, as many Indonesians view it as a sign of hope for a new, more equitable city for the country’s ethnically diverse population.
The new city of Nunsantara will be located on the island of Borneo, the world’s third-largest island, shared with the countries of Malaysia and Brunei. According to President Joko Widodo, the city will run on renewable energy and will be optimized for pedestrian traffic and efficient public transportation. In 2019, close to 300 companies vied for the opportunity to develop the master plan for the upcoming capital.
Indonesian urban planner Sibarani Sofian was selected. His proposal takes cues from the local climate and terrain conditions, proposing stilted buildings and elevated walkways to bypass the hilly terrain of Borneo and allow for cooling breezes and rainwater dispersal. However, political input is prevalent during the design process.
While no structures have been completed so far, there is pressure to complete the first phase of construction by the end of 2024, when Joko’s term in office ends. This hastened timeline raises concerns related to the difficulty of building in the thin clay soil, that cannot easily support the large-scale buildings needed to accommodate the expected population of 60,000 expected to move in by next year. Additional concerns relate to the deforestation process. While authorities guarantee that the majority of land planned for urbanization comprises of cultivated eucalyptus plantations, not virgin rainforest, some environmental groups have raised concerns, as no environmental impact assessment has been released.
The project, currently underway, will be one of the biggest infrastructure projects undertaken by the Indonesian government. While unusual, decisions to relocate the capital city are not unheard of. Across the world, new capitals have been built for a variety of reasons: from endeavours aimed at shifting a country’s center of influence, like the case of Pakistan’s Islamabad or Tanzania’s Dodoma, to attempts to reverse the rapid population growth, like Manaysia’ Putrajaya or Egypt’s yet unnamed contender for Cairo.
