Governor Fauzi Bowo's decision to issue a gubernatorial decree to restrict the issuance of shopping mall construction permits is commendable, considering that the city is already overcrowded with concrete buildings.
However, Jakartans cannot expect that the decree will immediately stop or even reduce such concrete planting in the capital, as it does not include a stipulation regarding the development of dozens of shopping malls and other commercial buildings, permits for which have already been issued.
The Jakarta city administration has said that the moratorium on the construction of malls will be effective until the end of 2012. Such a statement is controversial and contradictory, given the fact that mall construction will continue on those malls that have already been granted permits, within the moratorium period. Furthermore, it remains unclear whether the city will issue new permits in the coming years.
According to the interim director for the Jakarta Building Supervisory Agency (P2B), Wiriyatmoko, the city administration will only stop issuing permits for shopping malls and commercial centers bigger than 5,000 square meters. Exceptions, however, will be given to contractors wanting to establish new malls in the Jl. Dr. Satrio area, South Jakarta, and in East Jakarta.
It is still debatable whether Jakarta still needs new shopping facilities, given the current total of 564 shopping centers: 132 malls and 432 traditional markets and supermarkets. But it is an undeniable fact that the city is suffering from a serious shortage of green areas.
In its 2000-2010 Spatial Bylaw, the city was set to develop green areas amounting to 13.94 percent of the 650 square kilometers of Jakarta's total land territory; this plan is already behind by 20 percent as targeted by the national spatial laws.
Unfortunately, green areas in the city are currently less than 10 percent of the city's land mass. A serious implementation of the moratorium on the construction of shopping malls and other commercial facilities that take up large areas of land is therefore the answer to the problem.
The rapacious use of land due to rampant violations against the spatial law over the last two decades has prevented the city from becoming an ideal place to live. During the moratorium period, we strongly call on the city authorities to carry out a serious evaluation on the real state of the city, particularly about the ratio between green spaces and concrete buildings.
Jakarta is already subjected to serious environmental damage due to overexploitation of the city's land: Water shortages during the dry seasons; worsening impacts of annual flooding; worsening air pollution; and a shortage of open space for sports, exercise and social gatherings.
We cannot expect the moratorium will immediately stop the development of new shopping facilities. But we sincerely hope that the result of the one-year evaluation will produce fair recommendations to prevent further environmental damage in the city.
According to the Indonesian Shopping Center Association (APPBI), the moratorium will also have a positive impact upon businesses and give mall operators time to evaluate their strategies.
But of course, commercial considerations should never ignore damage caused to the city's environment, whose impact has already been felt by Jakartans. We hope the moratorium will not only please people, who are longing to see and enjoy more open spaces in the city, but also be part of the general commitment to making the capital a more humane city.