32.0 Rezoning for Mass Transit

In an earlier post, I stress the need for integrated planning to make mass transit successfully and hence a higher quality sustainable living environment and lifestyle.  See the excerpt from 25.0 Jakarta Mass Transit, Development Planning and Economics below or click on the hyperlink in the title to see the whole post.

Density of land along with the convenience of Mass Transit always makes land more valuable.  Governments have the ability to dictate development zoning and density and directly alter the land value and this is exactly what governments like Jakarta should do to finance and make Mass Transit viable and effective once it is built. 

Singapore Queenstown MRT Station with Density 
and new high rise apartments being added.

So how does one execute the rezoning to land around transit stations in order to increase density?  This question can only be answered by the legal experts of the individual country in which is being discussed, but below are a few possible examples.  Not being a legal expert by any means, these are more intuitive common sense recommendations.  The policy and strategy in the 4^th approach below is really the strategy that I am tabling in this blog post.

30.0 Is Jakarta’s Population Starving for Pedestrian Friendly Urban Environments?

There are many who agree pedestrian oriented urban environments provide a high and enriching quality of life.

In the course of my work, I often hear the comment from developers and professionals, “Indonesians don’t walk”!  I always reply with the question, “Who do you see in masses on any given day, walking on Orchard Rd in Singapore…, Indonesians!”  So this totally contradicts the theory that “Indonesians don’t walk”.  Even at home in the Capital City of Jakarta on any given Sunday morning you can witness thousands of Indonesians along Jalan Sudirman, walking along with running and biking!  So this further contradicts the common theory “Indonesians don’t walk”.

Walking on Singapore's Orchard Road.

Walking on Jakarta's Jl Sudirman on a Sunday Morning

26.0 Jakarta Flooding and Traffic Jam - Related Solutions?

The major infrastructure problems of Jakarta of flooding and traffic jam, is it possible that there exists a solution that could at least partially solve both issues?  In recent times, major flooding happens at least once every 5 years due to a number of reasons of which distruption of the main water ways is one of them.   While traffic jam as we all know is a daily occurance.  So certainly the 2 big probelms of Jakarta are of top priority and are important enough to consider a long term solution that may take 10 years or so to execute but would be a real light at the end of the tunnel with additonal positive impacts.

THESIS

Widen and deepen the full length of the Ciliwung river from Bogor to the Java Sea, clean up the water, make it an attractive feature that becomes a prime living location that patially solves the flooding issue and is then used for Public Mass Transit in the form of River Boats. 




Singapore River Condos and Waterfront amenities
 

25.0 Jakarta Mass Transit, Development Planning and Economics

The subject of Mass Transit always comes up in any conversation about cities with cronic traffic jams such as Jakarta.  The conversation always seems to go something like this, "the solution is a Mass Transit System..." and the replies are always something like, "Its too expensive the government canot afford it so it will never happen"  and the converstation usually stops there just as in real life this has been going on for years. 

Typical Jakarta Traffic Jam

According to recent news reports in the Jakarta Globe, the project still appears to be unsustainable.  The question is has the issue in cases like Jakarta been actually addressed in the correct comprehensive manner?  Lets look at the key factors in Mass Transit or take a step back and look at the issue of tranportation in a metropolis like Jakarta. 

What is the main objective?  To transport people from home to work and to other places of interest or necessity with comfort, efficiency and economy for everyone.  The simple fact is individual auto transport for each individual is not a sustainable solution both from and environmental and now an economic perspective with the price of oil, but also with the cost of space for roads and the resultant waste of time due to traffic jams. 

20.0 Iskander Malaysia development approach, will it work?

Johor Bahru is a compact border city across the causeway from Singapore.  When I first went there 20 years ago, I walked across the causeway and once passing immigration on the other side, you were right there in the city.  This reminded me of walking across the border from San Diego into Tiajuana and for me it possessed a certain border town charm. 

A number of years ago, Johore State along with the Federal Government launched the Iskander Malaysia development which would transform this border city of Singapore into a major city on its own.  It promised to have the perfect environment to live, work and play. 

Iskandar Malaysia Development Plan (source: Iskandar Malaysia Web Site)

18.0 Kalibata City a New Model for Jakarta?

Kalibata City is a joint venture between the government and a private developer.  Originally set up as a joint project so the government can draw on the expertise of the private developers to develop and build low cost housing.  Approximately 13,000 units will ultimately sit on the approximately 13 ha site spread over 3 classes of development in a total of 18 blocks, all sitting on a basement of retail and parking.

Kalibata City ground level a "sea of parking"

 

What is good about Kalibata City, What is the attraction?

14.0 Los Angeles – the Good, the Bad, the Future?

There is no there There! This has been the description of LA by a mix of people for a long time. So what is already there, what should be done and the most important question is what can be done? This perspective comes from the eyes trained in Architecture and Urban Design and having worked internationally for 28 years both sitting on the design side as well as the development side and working closely with governments.

 Let me first start by asking myself the question, what do I like and dislike of LA? The top of my list would look like this:

11.0 Rasuna Epicentrum, Jakarta - a Genuine Move Towards Urbanization!

Over the last 20 years as I have watched Jakarta transform, I have always yearned for it to grow into a truly Urban City with streets clearly defined by building and designed for pedestrians so walking from one building to the other can be an enjoyable experience. The pedestrian friendly environment, the development of mixed use together with a good public transport system I felt would turn Jakarta into a truly wonderful city. In my last blog, I wrote about my experience of the Busway and how it can be a Catalyst for urbanization of Jakarta. It still needs lots of improvements, but there is great potential.  

10.0 Jakarta Busway a Catalyst for Urbanization

In my many travels to Jakarta since 2004 when the Busway first went into operations, I have heard mostly complaints from people I met primarily Senior Managers who commute by private car and most often with a driver. The most immediate reaction was the complaining of taking one whole lane away for only buses when traffic was already so congested.

Over the years occasionally I have tried it a few time, and must say that generally it works, but still there are many related problems and issues that needs to be worked out before it can be truly a well integrated mass transit system.

6.0 Urban vs Suburban why I appreciate Urban so much!

Having grown up in the most pronounced suburbia in the world, I chose to live the last 20 years in some of the most urban and dense locations in Asia. All my friends and family back in L.A. always ask me what’s it like living in a “City”?

4.0 Regulations need to cover both Maximum and Minimum at least sometimes.

After publishing my Blog 2.0 - Residential Parking Requirements Near Subway Stations, I was surprised and in fact delighted to find and article in the 13 October 2011 issue of Today News Paper in Singapore titled Reversing into old trouble? The article covered the Singapore URA’s regulation to set the car parking ratio at 1 car per 425m2 of commercial GFA as opposed to the earlier ratio of 2 cars per 425m2 of GFA for a centrally located new development. This site is just off Raffles Place a short walk from the Raffles Place MRT station and clearly a location where you would expect and want the greater population of users to come by MRT or Taxi.

2.0 Residential Parking Requirements Near Subway Stations

Any city in the world with top class public mass transportation such as Singapore must be commended and clearly the residents and user enjoy a higher quality of life whether they actually use the public transport or not. Of course if you use it, then you have direct benefits, if you don’t and end up driving, you benefit indirectly from the reduced traffic and competition for parking.