Transcriber: Alhassan Hamoud Reviewer: Sebastian Betti
What do you think cities look like in 50, 100 years?
Do you think of advanced technology,
autonomous cars and modern infrastructures?
But will we live to see our cities reach this level of modernization?
And more importantly, will our cities survive to see it?
For instance, part of my capital city of Jakarta, with a population of 11 million,
are predicted to sink by 2030.
Rising temperatures and water levels are only going to make it worse
for my home city.
Could it be because we didn’t build it the right way?
We have been creating cities with more or less a common approach.
Copying the most popular practices around the world
and bringing them to our cities,
we don't pay heed to our specific cultures and needs.
So when the government of Indonesia decided to relocate
the capital city from Jakarta to East Borneo,
it posed a unique opportunity to create
a better model for a future city.
And unlike Jakarta, Borneo is famous
for its dense tropical forests,
rolling hills and as a habitat for sensitive environment and ecosystem.
So we thought, what if we search,
listen and learn and find clues from this beautiful landscape?
What if we emulate the elements of the rainforest into our urban contexts?
But how do we do that? Well, here are some clues.
For example, the rainforest emerging canopies teach us how to reach
out to the sun and harness energy while the understory,
give us clues to establish interconnection between different
elements in our case structures and buildings.
While the rain forest floor features how to have a permeable surfaces,
harnessing rainwater and nutrients from the soil.
To buttress roots, give us a clue on how to build an efficient conduit
with a strong foundation.
But how do we translate these ideas into our cityscape?
First, we elevate parts of the ground floor of our city to be built on stilts,
allowing water and wind movement, ventilation and sunlight to penetrate,
creating minimal impact on the soil.
So we work with the natural contour instead of against it.
Second, we built a system of skywalk that interconnect buildings above the ground
and link them with the public transport nodes,
creating an almost branch like system to facilitate easier and more direct access.
This will allow us to achieve a 15 minute cities where
the resident can reach their basic needs
and amenities within short walking distance.
This skywalk system
can in the future be used to facilitate integrated infrastructure corridors
and smarter deliveries using modern technology.
These are just a few examples.
Interestingly, this is not the first time
that someone is looking to replicate the elements of nature.
Our vernacular architecture has always drawn inspiration
from the natural surroundings and been respectful towards it.
Traditionally, homes in Indonesia were built on stilts, allowing water,
vegetation and wildlife to flourish and with minimal footprints
on the environment.
Not just that,
it is also proven to be more resilient during disasters.
For example, in the 6.5 Richter earthquake of Padang in 2009,
most of the structures that survive were the old field houses.
We envision our new capital city of Borneo returning to this and principles.
We call it Nagata Rima Nusa,
a city that’s built on the wisdom of the forests and culture of Indonesia,
a city that will soon become our new home.
Now there is another top.
What if all of us try to find clues
from our nature and culture to transform our new cities?
Imagine renewed cities in central Africa
inspired by savanna woodlands or cities in South America,
inspired by river ecosystem
or cities in Sri Lanka inspired by Highland rainforests.
Will that be something?
Future cities don’t always need to look too far ahead.
Try to look around and listen carefully to your unique nature and culture.
The clues are there.
We found inspiration from our Indonesian tropical forests
and vernacular architecture, and we hope you can find yours too.