Semarang, 5 Juli 2025 – Urbanization is presently an uncontainable process in many developing countries like Indonesia. Sadly, the rapid growth of cities is seldom accompanied by sound planning. Therefore, urbanization has significant impacts on the environment: ranging from air pollution, loss of green open spaces, to the risk of more frequent disasters such as floods and droughts.

According to statistics from the Central Statistics Agency (BPS), in 2023 more than 57.6% of the population of Indonesia are living in urban areas. This has increased significantly from 2010 at a mere 49.8%, and expected at 66.6% by 2035. The World Bank report (World Bank, 2021) also shows that about 4 million people migrate from villages to urban centers in Indonesia every year. The phenomenon certainly has a direct influence on the urban environmental conditions and spatial structure.

Decreased air quality is one of the main impacts of urbanization. In Jakarta, for example, IQAir’s 2022 report showed that the air pollution index via the PM2.5 measurement was at 47.2 µg/m³, nearly 10 times the WHO-safe level of 5 µg/m³. This is worsened with the multitude of motor vehicles on the streets and the lack of green public areas that serve as natural air filters.

In addition, the expansion of the land into concrete infrastructures and roads has reduced the capacity of the ground to hold water from rain, such that the threat of flooding has increased. In records by PUPR Ministry, more than 65 Indonesian major cities are exposed to increasingly rising flooding annually.

It is desirable that a city would have 30% Green Open Space (RTH) of its land area. Based on the DKI Jakarta Forestry Service data in 2022, however, Jakarta’s RTH only totals 9.98%. The rest belongs to buildings, infrastructure, and highways.

If graphed in pie chart form, the distribution of land use in Jakarta shows that 9.98% is dedicated for green open space while the remaining 90.02% is used for development. This shows how narrow the natural space is amidst the commonality of concrete and asphalt in this metropolis city.

Expert Voice: Design the City Carefully

Dr. Iwan Kurniawan, a professor of city planning at the University of Indonesia, reminded us to exercise wise planning in confronting urbanization.

“Urbanization cannot be prevented, but can be directed,” unless we exercise wise planning, we will only accelerate the destruction of the environment which will ultimately harm humans themselves,” he said when interviewed at a national environmental seminar.

Efforts Towards Sustainable Cities

To address the impact of urbanization on the environment, solutions have been built and recommended by experts and international bodies such as UNESCAP:

– Incorporating the concept of a green city with green development

– Sourcing at least 20% additional green open space in the coming decade

– Improving access and quality of public transport such as MRT and LRT

– Green and technology-based waste management

The Ministry of PUPR also encourages the local governments to revise the Regional Spatial Plan (RTRW) so that it may pay more attention to environmental aspects as well as the carrying capacity of land.

Conclusion

Urbanization is inevitable. However, without planning that includes ecological factors, the impact may be highly destructive. Therefore, coordination between the government, the community, and the private sector is extremely vital to create a city that is economically advanced but ecologically livable.

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