Institut Teknologi Bandung

Nusantara is the new city that was planned to be built with the concept of 3C: Climate Change, Conflict, and Coronavirus. One of the driving forces behind the relocation of Indonesia’s capital city is climate change, considering its adaptive development mitigation of the people. The rise of global conflicts and the coronavirus pandemic also serves as catalysts to push the development of IKN as a pioneer of digitized cities from economic resilience.

On another hand, the high rate of regional urbanization also strengthens the background of IKN development. The government is currently brainstorming more livable city designs; urban designs that are oriented toward smart and inclusive development, sustainable transportation and energy, financial innovation, as well as rejuvenation.

Building a city is not an easy feat. To accomplish it, IKN’s development follows the best practice of previous existing city development by pivoting to human development as well as establishing sustainable economic growth. "Nusantara will become our economic super-hub in the future," Bambang explained the project’s alignment with Indonesia's vision upon entering 2045.

One essential aspect of urban development is the quality of health and disease control. Thus, the development of the new capital city applies the post-pandemic urban development concept, focusing on the city's density, diversity, design, digitalization, and decarbonization. It is also based on the principles of green, smart, inclusive, resilient, and sustainable cities.

Nusantara is targeted to become a sustainable forest city. "This city that is four times the size of Jakarta will only have 25% of it to be built. The rest of the region will be either forests or agriculture areas,” Bambang affirmed. He sets a target for Nusantara to become a green city- a living lab where humans can coexist with nature as a carbon-neutral city by 2045.

Forest City emphasizes on sustainability by maintaining, managing, and restoring forest ecosystems as a solution to preserve its biodiversity. Infrastructures that are crucial for the city will be built and its urban management will be meticulously planned out beforehand. For instance, immersed tunnels will be implemented across the city to support the wildlife, while the licensing of mining in Kutai Kartanegara is currently postponed to prevent disrupting the construction phase.

Another goal of IKN’s development is to emerge as a smart city, in which most of its activities are planned to be automated. Government systems are plotted to leverage artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things, and integrated applications for data identification and exchanges. Moreover, applying automation in the city is also hoped to improve the quality of life in terms of water management, waste management, and renewable energy production.

As the new capital city of Indonesia, Nusantara will bring a new outlook and hope to Indonesia and the world. "This city will be a pilot of how an integrated system can be achieved to face the ongoing climate change, uphold biodiversity, and implement sustainable development goals (SDGs) for a safer and comfortable city that is globally connected," Bambang emphasized.

Reporter: Ananta Muji (Information Systems and Technology, 2019)
Translator: Ruth Nathania (Environmental Engineering, 2019)