Life during and after the pandemic has made people in big cities, such as Jakarta, rethink about living in crowded, dense and claustrophobic urban areas. During the pandemic, the condition of Jakarta, which is often called dense, is often associated with the speed of Covid-19 transmission.
But is it true that Jakarta is so dense that diseases spread faster? Or the problem is Jakarta's overcrowded conditions and poor spatial planning?
In reality, Jakarta is not dense, but overcrowded. So, what is the difference between dense and overcrowded? And how can Jakarta's spatial planning be better so that it is no longer overcrowded? Here's the explanation.
Understand the term densecity
Urban density is the amount of built-up floor space on a single piece of land. A physically dense city, if well organized, will be more efficient. This is because all activities can be carried out in close proximity. In addition, economic activities in dense cities are also more vibrant.
With the increase in vertical residential development, cities can also provide enough land for parks or public spaces. For example, we can look at some of Asia's densest cities, such as Tokyo, Hong Kong, Taipei and Singapore.
During the pandemic, the spread of Covid-19 in these dense cities is relatively low compared to other cities. In addition to adequate health facilities, the low transmission of Covid-19 in these cities is also closely related to the well-organized population density. These cities are known as compact cities that prioritize effective land use, with a focus on providing vertical housing.
Understanding the term overcrowded city
According to Jane Jacobs, an American urbanist, Jakarta is not dense, but overcrowded. Looking back, in contrast to the conditions in dense Asian cities above, during the pandemic, overcrowded Jakarta was among the cities with high Covid-19 transmission rates.
This is because, despite Jakarta's very high population, until now Jakarta's spatial layout is still physically less dense, so there is not enough space for its residents.
According to the Central Bureau of Statistics of DKI Jakarta Province, the population of Jakarta in 2022 is 10,679,951 people. With Jakarta's current population level and spatial layout, overcrowding is an unavoidable problem.
Overcrowding usually occurs in areas with high concentrated poverty. If you walk through Jakarta's densely populated villages, you can see how one family lives in one small room and shares facilities with other neighbors.
These areas are usually the preferred residence of migrants, street vendors, construction workers, and low-income workers, such as office boys/girls, shopkeepers, and other non-formal sector workers.
Overcrowded cities with high concentrated poverty usually also lack public spaces, green open spaces, and adequate sanitation.
So, how can a city, like Jakarta, stop being overcrowded so that its residents can live in a decent space? The answer is by increasing its density.
Increase urban density with vertical residentialdevelopment
To increase density, a city needs to increase vertical residential development which automatically increases the available floor area in the city.
For example, a building has a floor area of 1000 square meters and is occupied by 100 people, which means one person occupies 10 square meters of space. Now, on the same land area, we can build 5 floors, bringing the floor area to 5000 square meters.
With 5 floors and 5000 square meters of floor space, each floor can be occupied by 20 people. As a result, each person occupies 50 square meters of space. By increasing the floor area by 5 times, the building is no longer overcrowded.
By increasing vertical housing development, Jakarta's building density and spatial layout can be improved. Residents can also live in decent housing at affordable prices.
In conclusion, efficient land use can make Jakarta dense, rather than cramped. In addition, by increasing the floor area of buildings, land for other needs such as public spaces and green open spaces is also easier to allocate.
Hopefully in the future, Jakarta's spatial planning can focus on building upwards so that it is closer to the ideal compact city concept that has been successfully implemented in various countries. Here's to a better, denser, less crowded Jakarta!
For more information on overcrowded Jakarta with illustrations, please watch the video Jakarta NotDense butCrowded/Overcrowded.