The plan for relocating the capital city to Kalimantan Island was announced by President Joko Widodo back in 2019.
The construction has been ongoing, and the new capital, Nusantara, was officially inaugurated in Sepaku, Penajam Paser Utara Regency, East Kalimantan Province. The relocation plan naturally comes with various consequences.
In light of this, a collaborative discussion was held between the UGM Faculty of Geography and the Faculty of Forestry on Monday (7/8) under the theme “Studium Generale: Studying Frontiers of Development in Indonesia.”
“The urban planning for Nusantara has been designed with clear territorial boundaries. Unfortunately, from a geographical perspective, this has not been fully considered. Building a city requires planning and considerations based on future probabilities,” stated Dr. Kei Otsuki, an associate professor from Utrecht University.
Dr. Otsuki added that some critical considerations include land movement, land development, energy distribution, resources, and other factors greatly influenced by environmental conditions.
The relocation of the nation’s capital should not be hurried. Nusantara, the nation’s administrative hub, still needs development and social reforms.
“Several potential issues, especially in the environmental context, involve the existence of mangrove forests. It is feared that the mangrove forests may change or perhaps vanish when Nusantara becomes the capital city. Additionally, if other programs alter land use, they may not follow the initial plans,” Dr. Otsuki added.
Urbanization will undoubtedly present a significant challenge if the capital city relocation occurs within the next ten years. Industrial centers, corporate offices, and even the population will flock to Nusantara, potentially causing overcrowding.
“Currently, population growth in East Kalimantan is very high. According to a report from 2020, the population growth rate reached 3.77% and is expected to double within the next 18 years due to the capital relocation,” said Professor R. Rijanta of the UGM Faculty of Geography.
Nevertheless, it is still believed that Jakarta will remain the main capital, at least for the next five years.
The local population and the environment will most strongly feel the impact of capital relocation. Urbanization towards the new capital city may lead to an uncontrollable “expansion” effect, potentially pressuring the local communities.
Preventive measures have been taken by integrating the concepts of villages and cities into the “Forest City,” an idea that forms the basis of Nusantara’s community relationships. This concept not only allocates land in Nusantara for migrant communities but also increases accessibility for the local population.
“Most likely, the Desakota concept applied in Nusantara will turn the areas around it into major players in urbanization. Property investments made by various parties follow this prediction,” Professor Rijanta stated.
Author: Tasya