In 2019, knowing Jakarta was suffering from overpopulation, debilitating pollution, and that each passing day meant more of its 255 square miles were sinking below sea level, Joko Widodo, the president of Indonesia, made a drastic announcement: He planned to move the capital city. Today, that goal is moving closer to completion. In a new report by The New York Times, the newspaper described Widodo’s efforts to build Nusantara, a futuristic, green metropolis to replace Jakarta as the nation’s capital. “We want to build a new Indonesia,” Joko told the Times. “This is not physically moving the buildings. We want a new work ethic, new mindset, new green economy.”
Nusantara is being built on the east coast of Borneo island, the third largest island in the world and roughly 800 miles away from Jakarta. Construction officially began in August of 2022, however no buildings have been completed, as workers are still clearing land. Nusantara’s inauguration is planned for August 17, 2024, to coincide with the Indonesian independence day. Jakarta has served as the nation’s capital since Indonesia gained its independence in 1945.
The aspirations for Nusantara are lofty—though they mirror the goals for many other proposed futuristic cities. Widodo says the city will run on renewable energy, become a high-tech metropolis, and be a place where residents can purchase real estate with cryptocurrency. The Indonesian government hired Sofian Sibarani, founder of Jakarta-based Urban+ to design the new city. Renderings show a collection of biophilic-inspired structures and a presidential palace that takes cues from a variety of styles, including modernism and neoclassicism.
Though many have described Nusantara as both a symbol of progress and hope, experts have also expressed doubt. Environmentalists worry that the city’s construction could damage ecosystems, and, as the Times explained, many Jakarta residents won’t be able to relocate to the new capital, leaving them to live with many of the city’s current problems.
Still, it wouldn’t be the first time a country’s capital has been moved and rebuilt. Egypt is currently building a new capital outside of Cairo, Malaysia’s capital moved from Kuala Lumpur to Putrajaya in 2003, and Myanmar moved its government from Rangoon to Naypyidaw in 2006. However, perhaps the most notable examples of this occurrence among architecture enthusiasts is Brasília, designed by Oscar Niemeyer, a city built from nothing in 1960. In a parallel to Nusantara, the Brazilian capital, which was crafted with a modernist edge and inaugurated with a radical urban plan for its era, proved that the South American country could be a powerful progressive nation. Supporters of the project expressed similar desires for Nusantara. As Deden Rukmana, an urban planner, told the Times, “As an Indonesian, I think we need to prove to ourselves that we can do it, we can become a global role model in building a new capital that promotes sustainability and growth.”
