Water as Leverage- Setting the scene for a call for action

Water as Leverage for Resilient Cities Asia Setting the Scene for a Call for Action Content
3.1.1
Doubling the City
Located on the northern coast of central Java,
the most densely populated island of Indonesia,
Semarang is the largest city in the province and
the fifth largest in the country. After the Jakarta
metropolitan area, Semarang is the largest city
on Java’s northern coast. It covers an estimated
area of 737.8 square kilometers between the Java
Sea and higher hinterland and has a population of
approximately 1.8 million people in the urban area
and over 3.9 million inhabitants in the metropolitan
area.
Originally a Javanese settlement, the first
settlements in the Semarang area were
strategically positioned; protected in the
east and west by rivers, in the north by
the mangrove forest and in the south by
mountains. In recent years, expansion has
been oriented towards the elevated areas in
the island’s interior. Interestingly, the small
hill of Koenokoeni, which is considered one
of the most prestigious residential locations
in Semarang today, used to be a Chinese
cemetery until the last century.
Because of its excellent location 300
kilometers east of Jakarta and 100 kilometers
north of the cultural center Yogyakarta, the
city was occupied by the Dutch East India
Company (VOC) in the 16th century and soon
became one of the Dutch strategic trading
posts in Indonesia. At the time, the settlement
was divided in three parts, according to the
different ethnicities living in the area: the Dutch
fortress, the Chinese quarter and the Javanese
palace. The three ethnic groups shared a
common market place close to the river,
which acted as the city’s main public space
for people to gather. During this period, there
were no road connections and the city was
only accessible by sea. Moreover, at the time
the coast was almost 6.5 kilometers further
inland, and, due to a process of sedimentation,
it slowly extended to reach today’s coastline.
Mangrove forests naturally protected the new
land from coastal erosion and land subsidence,
favouring the process of urban expansion and
providing natural defence for the city (Pratiwo,
2004).
In the following two centuries, the city
experienced relatively limited growth, reaching
a maximum spread of two kilometers from
the initial core. To deal with flooding, the
Dutch enhanced the drainage capacity of the
rivers by building additional canals. Through
this system, the city was provided with flood
prevention, while the landscape around it
35000000
30000000
25000000
20000000
15000000
10000000
5000000
0
Population Growth
Semarang
Source: Census, 2011
1971 1980 1990 1995 2000 2010
1880
A small Dutch settlement behind
the mangroves.
1970
The expantion of Semarang’s
harbour pushes the mangrove
area away.
Current
retained part of the precipitation and prevented
sea flooding and landslides. In addition, fresh
water was mainly provided from groundwater
and surface water, including rivers, canals and
small water reservoirs.
Considerable expansions started with the first
main infrastructural changes. First, a mail road
was introduced, connecting Semarang with
the rest of Java and changing the city’s urban
growth from a south–north orientation to an
east–west orientation along the infrastructure.
Secondly, the railway was implemented at the
end of the 19th century following the same
direction. The city harbour was expanded
and improved in 1861. Much later, after the
Japanese occupation (1942–45) and the
independence struggle (1945–49), Semarang
experienced an economic boom sparked
by industry, which led to the beginning of
considerable urban sprawl. The new expansion
caused deforestation of the mangroves, which
were replaced by new industrial facilities, fish
farming ponds and urbanization (100 Resilient
Cities, 2016).
Today the city is mainly growing inland,
particularly in the southwestern areas. The
population count has reached 1.7 million
inhabitants, of which 48.4% live in urban
areas. The city’s surface area is 373.70 square
kilometers, with a density of 4,627 inhabitants
per square kilometer. Twenty-one percent of
the surface is dedicated to agriculture (i.e. the
cultivation of rice, corn and cassava), while
42.17% is used for residential purposes (Kota
Semarang Dalam Angka, 2017).
On a social level, there appears to be a
disconnection between government and large
segments of society, which is reflected in the
lack of coordination of disaster management
and awareness campaigns. Since vast areas
of the city are unregulated, developments
and large social segments rely on informal
provision systems. The local government is
now working to create a link between bottomup
and top-down initiatives. According to
the Determination and Location Program for
Housing Environment and Slum Residents,
there are currently more than 62 illegal
settlements in the city, compromising a surface
222 SEMARANG
Urban Dynamics
PART 2/Background Information on the Partner Cities
223