A design illustration of Indonesia’s future presidential palace in East Kalimantan (Picture: KFP)
Indonesia’s capital Jakarta is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in southeast Asia, and home to more than 10.5 million people. It is one of the region’s most populous urban areas.
It is also disappearing into the ground.
Sitting on swampy land, it is the fastest-sinking city in the world, with the Java Sea lapping against it as climate change takes its toll.
Jakarta is also polluted and prone to earthquakes, part of a long list of environmental challenges plaguing the city.
So what does a country do when its capital is sinking? Build an entirely new one.
There are grand plans to move the capital to Nusantara, a new metropolis about 870 miles north of Jakarta. Officials estimate it will be completed by 2045, but all is not exactly going to plan.
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$32 billion for a new super-hub
The Nusantara plan is the first time the climate catastrophe has played a role in the process of relocating a capital.
Indonesia’s government is investing an estimated $32 billion for the new capital in the jungles of East Kalimantan on the island of Borneo.
About three-quarters of the island is Indonesian territory, while the remainder is split between Malaysia and Brunei.
The area has a relatively low risk of earthquakes, tsunamis, or volcanic eruptions.
Construction of Indonesia’s new capital, known as Nusantara (Picture: Reuters)
Nusantara is estimated to be completed by 2045 (Picture: AFP)
Indonesia’s president, Joko Widodo, announced the plan in 2017 and ratified it two years later – but critics say it is too rushed and out of the realm of reality.
Four years later, Nusantara will be officially inaugurated on August 17, coinciding with Indonesia’s Independence Day.
Construction of a new city
Nusantara is expected to sprawl over 990 square miles, surrounded by hilly landscapes, a forest, and a natural bay.
The Presidential Palace under construction (Picture: Getty)
6,000 government workers are set to move there in time for the next president’s inauguration in October (Picture: Getty)
Construction began in July 2022, starting with clearing of land for access to roads.
The design and construction of the new capital are centered on sustainability and innovation, aiming to create a green, futuristic capital.
Architects plan to blend modern urban infrastructure with natural landscapes. The city will feature extensive green spaces, renewable energy systems, and smart city technologies.
Urban planners prioritise public transportation and pedestrian-friendly pathways to minimize carbon emissions – unlike in Jakarta.
A general view from the site of the multi-story building in Nusantara (Picture: Getty)
Construction workers are building the Nusantara Capital City VVIP Airport in North Penajam Paser
AI projections of Nusantara depict a sleek, eco-friendly urban landscape, which seamlessly integrated technology with the environment.
Towering skyscrapers with green facades dominate the skyline, while sprawling parks and nature reserves are interwoven throughout the city.
Influencer trips and resignations
It cannot be denied that the plan for Nusantara is ambitious. Indonesian officials have employed an entire PR campaign to sell it to foreign investors.
Influencers were even invited to the new capital under construction as president Widodo explained about the project.
Content creator Jerhemy Owen published a glossy video on TikTok after, telling his followers: ‘Are you interested in moving to Nusantara? It is the smartest and most eco-friendly city.’
It seems that Nusantara needs all the positive PR it can get amid a string of recent resignations from top officials and financial issues.
Both the head and deputy head of the body overseeing the new capital quit their posts last week, raising concerns of its future and the fortune already invested in it.
This seems to have come as a surprise to the outgoing president, who rushed to his Instagram to say: ‘The development of new capital will be continued in line with the shared vision that has been established.’
In addition, 300 investment projects have been identified, from housing, transport, telecommunication, to renewable energy, with estimated investment values from $13 million to $1 billion.
But the project is struggling – even though multiple incentives have been set up, including guarantees, tax exemptions and extended land rights.
Aerial view of the housing complex in the Jatinegara district in Jakarta (Picture: Getty)
High cost to Indigenous communities
Alongside with high costs to Indonesia, Nusantara could also have a destructive impact to the surrounding environment and local Indigenous communities.
Residents of Balikpapan Bay, in eastern Borneo, dismissed claims that it could ever be a sustainable city that coexists with nature, despite what the planners say.
Locals have been ordered to vacate their homes and abandon their farmland, with compensation yet to materialise. Fisherman have also been pushed out of the area.
Yati, a member of the Balik Indigenous community who has been forced out, told the Guardian earlier this year: ‘It makes us feel so far away from the area and from our families.’
In the first of five phases, the project is focusing on the core government area of Nusantara to host a population of 1.2 million by 2029.
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