Events

CHAIRPERSON

Dr Rita Padawangi, Asia Research Institute, National University of Singapore. 

ABSTRACT

The Ciliwung River has been at the center of human settlements since at least the 4th century A.D. Nearly two centuries of exploitation propelled modern Jakarta’s development but left the river as a heavily-polluted, flood-inducing eyesore. Do residents today care to see a restored, multi-functional river or is it a lost cause? I explore this in the context of the city’s plans to rehabilitate the Ciliwung. Based on data collected through surveys of residents within the catchment area, I analyze the river’s present function as a piece of “infrastructure” for the numerous informal settlements along its banks. I also investigate residents’ preferences for a future vision of the river, which involves interesting tradeoffs in terms of relocating households, maintaining forests in Kabupaten Bogor well outside the city, and monthly household financial contributions. Despite a prevalence of low incomes and education levels in many Jakartan households, restoring the Ciliwung River’s functionality is not only widely desired but could potentially be supported through a new revenue stream. This provides a stepping stone for the equally daunting task of negotiating among the numerous agencies, tiers of governance, and interest groups that assert responsibility over the river.

ABOUT THE SPEAKER

Derek Vollmer is a PhD candidate in the Department of Civil, Environmental and Geomatic Engineering (D-BAUG) at ETH Zurich, and concurrently a researcher in the Singapore-ETH Centre’s Future Cities Laboratory. His PhD research is in the field of environmental planning, with a focus on ecosystem services within an urbanized river catchment in Indonesia. Prior to moving to Singapore, Mr. Vollmer was a Program Officer in the Science & Technology for Sustainability unit of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences in Washington, DC. Mr. Vollmer holds a B.A. in Government and International Studies from the University of Notre Dame (USA) and a M.S. in Environmental Science and Policy from Johns Hopkins University (USA).

REGISTRATION

Admission is free. We would greatly appreciate if you RSVP Mr Jonathan Lee via email: jonathan.lee@nus.edu.sg