Vertical Housing: A Bold Vision for Jakarta's Traffic and Living Crisis
Kevin Bryan
I. My Personal Story with Jakarta's Traffic
Growing up in Jakarta, traffic noise becomes the soundtrack of your life. Every day, I navigate through narrow gang (alleyway) neighborhoods, then suddenly face the chaos of main roads. It's like going from a quiet village straight into a car battlefield.
Don't get me wrong - Jakarta has made great progress with the MRT and train systems. But here's the problem: getting to the station is still a nightmare. The walk is too far, sidewalks are too narrow (or don't exist), and honestly, it feels dangerous. So what do we do? We hop on our motorbikes or into cars. It's not really a choice - it's survival. And that creates endless traffic jams, unbearable heat, and air so polluted it hurts to breathe.
Here's what I realized: Jakarta's layout is working against us. We have super dense business districts, but then these spread-out residential areas that force everyone to travel long distances. But what if the solution is literally right under our noses, in our own neighborhoods? What if we could redesign how we use our land to make Jakarta work for people, not just cars?
II. My Big Idea: Building Up, Not Out
Here's my crazy idea: what if we took those small, cramped houses in central Jakarta and built apartment towers instead? Let me paint you a picture.
Right now, a typical plot of land in a gang might house 3 to 5 families in tiny, poorly-built homes. But imagine if we built a nice 9-story apartment building on that same spot. With 4 families per floor, we could house 36 families total! That's more than 7 times as many people in the same space.
Now here's where it gets exciting: all that extra land we just freed up? We can turn it into proper sidewalks, bike lanes, and green spaces. I don't want to build more roads for cars - I want to build spaces for people. These vertical neighborhoods would be close to MRT stations, so residents could actually walk or bike there safely. No more dangerous motorbike rides just to catch the train!
But this isn't just about fixing traffic - it's about making Jakarta fair for everyone. Imagine if people from all income levels could live in the same great neighborhoods, with equal access to jobs, schools, and fun activities.
Here's the deal I'm proposing: families could trade their current small houses for a brand new apartment in a beautiful building with modern facilities. Think elevators, proper plumbing, maybe even a rooftop garden! This concept isn't new - just look at the Menteng flat houses, where multiple families have been sharing houses together for years, as highlighted by Fellexandro Ruby in his podcast with Elisa Sutanudjadja. It's a proven model that shows how shared living spaces can work beautifully in Jakarta's central areas, making housing more affordable while maintaining community ties.
III. The Science Behind This Idea
I know this sounds like a wild dream, but guess what? Cities around the world have already proven this works! Let me share what the research says:
More People = Better Public Transport: Studies show that when more people live close together near train stations, public transport becomes more successful. You need enough people using the system to make it run frequently and reliably. This creates a positive cycle - better transport means fewer people need cars (Cervero, 2013; Litman, 2017).
Streets for People, Not Just Cars: Good sidewalks aren't just nice to have - they're essential for modern cities. Research proves that when streets are designed for walking and cycling, people actually use cars less and the air gets cleaner (Ewing & Cervero, 2010; Sallis et al., 2016). This means building wider sidewalks, safe crossing points, and yes, even making car lanes smaller - which actually makes drivers go slower and keeps everyone safer (NACTO, 2013; TRB, 2017).
The Money Makes Sense: Building apartments is actually cheaper per family than building individual houses because you can share costs like elevators, security, and maintenance. Plus, these buildings create jobs during construction and afterward for management and local businesses (Ghaffarianhoseini et al., 2018). Here's a bonus: families could rent out their extra rooms to create passive income - turning their home into a small business!
IV. The Real Problem: Why This Hasn't Happened Yet
Let me be honest here. The biggest problem isn't that we don't have money or technology - it's that our government systems have failed us. For years, big housing projects have been ruined by bad decisions and, let's call it what it is, corruption.
Look at the Rumah Susun (public housing) projects we have now. They were built with no care for design, comfort, or what millennials actually need. I saw a video by Gamal showing one of these buildings - it wasn't terrible, but it wasn't great either. It lacked the creative vision that could make people excited to live there. Instead of being symbols of progress, these buildings became known as "vertical slums." This didn't happen by accident - it happened because money that should have gone to good design went into someone's pocket instead.
This is our chance to empower talented local architects to turn their sustainable co-living designs into reality. Rather than just building basic apartments, we can create innovative living spaces that showcase Indonesian architectural talent and reimagine urban living for our city.
Here are some shocking numbers: Jakarta loses about Rp 100 trillion ($6.5 billion USD) every year just from traffic jams (Jakarta Daily, 2024). At the same time, corruption steals massive amounts of money that could fix our city. The money to build a better Jakarta exists - it's just going to the wrong places. Studies show that over Rp 1,300 trillion ($80+ billion USD) was lost to corruption in recent high-profile cases investigated since late 2024 alone. Just a small portion of that money could transform our entire city.
But here's some hope: the Kampung Akuarium project shows what's possible when communities and government actually work together honestly. They created housing that works well and respects local culture. The challenge is making this the normal way of doing things, not just a rare success story.
V. The Bottom Line: Jakarta Can Be Amazing
Jakarta is at a turning point. We can keep doing what we're doing - endless traffic, sprawling neighborhoods, and a city that only works for the rich. Or we can choose something better: building up instead of out, and designing our city for people. This isn't science fiction - cities like Singapore and Melbourne have already figured this out. We don't need new technology or more money - we need leaders with courage and integrity.
Look, I'm just a software engineer from West Jakarta who knows nothing about urban planning. But I do know this: it's time to stop building cities for the wealthy few and start building for everyone. I dream of giving architects an amazing creative playground to design buildings that people actually want to live in. This isn't just wishful thinking - it's an urgent challenge. We have smart people, enough money, and incredible talent to make Jakarta not just another crowded city, but a world-class place where millions of people can live happily and healthily. The only thing stopping us is the courage to admit our past mistakes and demand better from our leaders.