Jakarta Jaya : The Green Manhattan

Coastal cities around the world today face the common challenge of sea level rise, and Jakarta is no exception. Compounded by land subsidence of up to 18 centimetres per year due to groundwater extraction and the increasing intensity of the monsoon rains, the city has an urgent need to protect itself from flooding. Frequently, the go-to solution seen from Sydney to Singapore is to build a sea wall. In Jakarta, a joint initiative between the Dutch and Indonesian governments is proposing to do just that, but with a difference—the proposal includes financing the sea wall through land reclamation, creating a whole new district of Jakarta in the middle of the bay.

One of the master plan proposals for this new district is Jakarta Jaya: The Green Manhattan proposal, which won the Smart Cities award at the World Architecture Festival 2017. Developed by Daliana Suryawinata and Florian Heinzelmann of SHAU Architects, in partnership with Jesse Kuijper of The Borneo Initiative, The Green Manhattan aspires beyond a Dubai Palm-style exclusive enclave to become “a smart city for everyone”, a live-work-play district that proposes an alternative solution to the multitude of challenges facing mainland Jakarta.

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