Ten Indonesian pilot cities joined a series of bilateral online discussions, June 2-11, facilitated by Putra Dwitama, the Climate Resilient and Inclusive Cities (CRIC) Project Coordinator from UCLG ASPAC, in a bid to identify challenges and priorities in city development plan. The discussion concluded that all pilot cities are exposed to climate-related disaster risks and still miss out on inclusivity, in which the CRIC project can help fill the gaps.
Participating cities are Pangkal Pinang, Pekanbaru, Bandar Lampung, Cirebon, Samarinda, Banjarmasin, Mataram, Kupang, Gorontalo and Ternate. Urban analysis experts and a representative from the Association of Indonesia Municipalities (APEKSI) were also present in the sessions. The discussions would provide an overall view of the characteristics of each city, climate-related existing programme, cities’ development plans and data availability.
It was found that all the ten pilot cities are vulnerable to disasters caused by climate change, such as floods, landslides, air pollution, drought and rising sea levels. The impact of climate change will worsen the problems that cities already face, especially for coastal cities like Ternate and Kupang. Ternate is likely to face a high risk from flooding as sea levels rise, and the impact will disrupt its already fragile economies and public infrastructure.
Access to clean water and sanitation remains a challenge, specifically for eight pilot cities. Cities also shared similar challenges when it comes to waste management and air pollution. In Cirebon, the city garbage dump will be at full capacity within three years, thus raising concerns over future waste treatment. While Pekanbaru battles with air pollution almost every year during the dry season, since smoke from forest fires in its neighbouring areas reached the city.
In the face of potential climate crisis, city governments showed concerns over their preparedness and resilience. However, only 4 cities (Samarinda, Banjarmasin, Mataram and Bandar Lampung) that clearly stated the urgency to have climate adaptation and mitigation plans in their development plans.
In Mataram, the medium-term development plan process is underway and the city addresses climate change problems, specifically in its efforts to build community resilience. A climate adaptation plan that will center on community empowerment is mentioned by the city focal point from Bandar Lampung. Samarinda also addressed climate change and resilience in its development plan. Of all ten cities, Banjarmasin is the only one addressing inclusivity, in addition to its adaptation and mitigation plans. Banjarmasin expects to close the public service gap for people with disabilities.
With these results, urban experts will develop urban analysis reports providing insights on cities resilience, inclusivity and potential climate impact and risks to urban development.