Suharso, who is an alumnus of ITB Urban and Regional Planning Engineering ‘74, explained that the relocation of Indonesian Capital City (ICC) had several purposes, including achieving Indonesia’s 2045 target to become a developed country; building the identity of the nation's capital city; changing the national development orientation from Java-centric to Indonesia-centric; and accelerating the economic transformation after Covid-19 pandemic.

“Soon, ICC will adopt the smart city concept with an eco-friendly approach, while the relocation of capital city from Jakarta to ICC will be following 8 principles: designing with nature; unity of diversity; connected, active, and accessible; net-zero emission; circular and resilient; safe and affordable; convenience and efficiency through technology; and robust economic opportunity for all, which will be achieved by 24 key indicators,” said Suharso. He also revealed the forest city concept in the planning and development of the new ICC.

ICC has a high ecological value and is located close to a conservation area, so it requires environmentally-friendly planning to build a compact and efficient ICC area without damaging the surrounding conservation area. The allocation of 75% ICC land as green open space is one of Indonesia’s efforts to achieve net-zero emissions by 2045. ICC is expected to be the catalyst for East Kalimantan by utilizing it as the center for economic activities development in the ICC area.

"In the future, ICC will become a green, sustainable, and livable area amidst world climate challenges by using collaboration, innovation, institutions, and existing technology," said Soeharso.

The development of economic and industrial clusters of ICC will be the main focus to increase economic growth in Kalimantan. The ICC economic center will show Indonesia’s resilience after the pandemic. According to him, penta helix collaboration in ICC planning is needed to achieve a liveable regional ecosystem.

Reporter: Mirmanti Cinahya Winursita (Perencanaan Wilayah dan Kota, 2019)
Translator: Aghisna Syifa Rahmani (Biologi, 2020)