Jakarta (the end is near)

 

Jakarta Kota

An interesting article from the AFP is running just now and it is really worth a look.

 

Indonesia’s thirsty capital is a sinking city

JAKARTA (AFP) - Separated by a road and a viscous finger of black, garbage-choked water, the stilt-house slum of Muara Baru and the BMW car dealership that faces it appear as if from different worlds.

But on December 6, 2025, these two extremes of the Indonesian capital will have something in common as a World Bank study shows that unless action is taken, they and much of the coastal city of 12 million will be submerged by seawater. …>go to article

I wanted to get this post out because there have been predictions of the demise of Jakarta for some time. Well, now we have a date.  Anyone up for an end of Jakarta party in 2025?  It’s only a mere 17 years away. Think of that.

Jakarta (an urban studies theory)

 

 

Jalan Thamrin, Jakarta

 

Perhaps someone has thought of this before. If that is so then I can say the idea holds true.

My very direct experience of Jakarta and my mental processing of that experience in the last two weeks have led me to conclude that there are six broad categories through which the modern urban setting can be considered. They may be considered in their literal sense as well in their metaphorical sense. These categories transcend economic status and gender. They are:

Buying
Selling
Consuming
Sleeping
Sex
Death

Urban activities fall into one, several, or all of these categories at any given time. These categories apply in all global urban settings.

Jakarta, being the city it is, displays these categories in some very robust ways.