Jakarta Looks To Give Old Town New Life

The Jakarta Globe, Arientha Primanita

Taman Fatahilah, Jakarta (Photo's: Yulian Firdaus)

The city administration is planning to give you more reasons to visit Old Town, or Kota Tua, in West Jakarta next year.

Aurora Tambunan, the deputy governor for cultural and tourism affairs, told the Jakarta Globe this week that the city was designing a “Weekend at Kota Tua” program to increase visits in 2010.

“We want to make it a weekly event for the whole year,” she said, adding that the events would showcase music, food and art. “It would be conceivable to put a performance of a jazz group in Fatahillah Hall.”

The proposed weekly events are part of the city’s revitalization plan for Kota Tua, a colonial Dutch neighborhood that is crumbling after decades of neglect.

This year, the administration allocated Rp 20 billion ($2.1 million) from its annual budget to revitalize Kotu Tua and established the Heritage Building Revitalization Team with the State Enterprises Ministry. The plan involves dividing the neighborhood into five zones, such as a colonial zone and a Chinatown area, Aurora said.

The ministry owns 23 of the 284 historic buildings in the 800-hectare area. Six other structures are owned by the city administration with the rest privately owned. “The city’s goal is to make Old Town a cultural tourism destination, preserve the heritage buildings and increase the income generated in the area,” Aurora said.

The ministry and the city are still discussing whether to lease, buy or jointly manage 12 of the 23 ministry-owned buildings located in the central area around Fatahillah Square. The administration is confident the agreement will be finalized early next year, paving the way for the revitalization plan, Aurora said.

Kota Tua observers, however, believe the neighborhood must resolve basic infrastructure problems before implementing any restoration plans.

Ella and Asep Kambali, founder of Komunitas Historia Indonesia (Indonesian History Community), said difficulties with garbage collection, transportation and street vendors needed to be addressed first.

“The city must think of a plan to keep the area clean,” Asep said. “Right now waste bins are rare and there are no bathrooms. People have to go to the museum to use the toilet.” Parking and public transportation also need to be addressed, Asep added.

Any plan to revitalize the area, Asep said, must be coordinated with other city agencies so that basic infrastructure issues can be dealt with.

Batavia cafe (Photo's: Yulian Firdaus)

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