Projects in Indonesia: Update on Jakarta’s Kota Tua Renovation Project
Lin Che Wei, CEO of the Jakarta Old Town Revitalization Corporation, said that renovation of the Kota Tua area is expected to be finished before the start of the 2018 Asian Games. Kota Tua (Old Batavia) is the oldest part of Jakarta, located in the northern part of Indonesia’s capital city, spanning 1.3 square kilometres, and used to function as the centre of Dutch colonial rule in the 17th and 18th century. Currently, however, many buildings in the Kota Tua area are in a state of near collapse although the area has great tourism potential.
In March 2014 the Kota Tua revitalization program was inaugurated by outgoing Jakarta Governor Joko Widodo (who will become Indonesia’s seventh president on 20 October 2014). As the regional Jakarta administration is aware of the tourism potential in the area it therefore gave property owners a two-year deadline to renovate their (near) collapsed buildings (or face a fine). About 85 buildings (out a total of 134 colonial-era buildings in the area) are in bad shape and require renovation. Around 56 percent of total buildings in Kota Tua are privately-owned, 40 percent is owned by state-owned enterprises (SOEs) and the remaining 4 percent is in the hands of the Jakarta administration.
Funds for the revitalization project originate from the regional Jakarta budget (APBD) and from the private companies. The Jakarta Old Town Revitalization Corporation is the consortium that leads the revitalization project in the Kota Tua area. The consortium announced that they obtained permission from some building owners to start the renovation project.
Apart from renovation of the colonial buildings, the Jakarta City Council (DPRD) will also assist to regulate street vendors (hawkers) in the Kota Tua area. Hawkers will need to be registered in order to be allowed to sell their goods or services.
Arief Budhiman, Head of Jakarta Tourism Agency, said that the authentic design of the buildings will be preserved. However, the restoration project will add a number of facilities to the buildings, such as parking lots, parks and space for hawkers.