SIG Also Realizes Pedestrians' Dream To Have Friendly And Safe Sidewalks In The City Of Jakarta

The creation of an inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable city is one of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Considering the harmony between economic, social and environmental aspects, one reflection of sustainable urban planning is the existence of public facilities such as sidewalks to provide a good quality of life to its citizens.

Like a storefront for the lives of citizens, sidewalks are a benchmark that shows the civilization and identity of a developed city. Therefore, cities in a number of countries, including Indonesia, are aggressively revitalizing sidewalks to provide proper public facilities for their citizens.

At the launch of the book Sidewalks for Sustainable Cities which is a documentation of pavement revitalization in DKI Jakarta, October 3, 2022, GIS Business and Marketing Director, Aulia Mulki Oemar said that being part of the construction of Sidewalks for Sustainable Cities is an honor for GIS. "Our spirit to realize #MasaDepanYangKitaMau as part of the Company's sustainability strategy, encourages GIS to take part in building sustainable living conditions for future generations, and supports the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs 2030)", said Aulia.

According to him, as a leading provider of building material solutions in Indonesia, GIS continues to innovate to create products and solutions to meet the needs of the community that continues to grow by paying attention to sustainability aspects. “We offer products and solutions that include the provision of cement building materials and derivative products, construction services, to the sustainable management of waste and urban waste. The value creation process is not only driven by profit alone, but also the desire to contribute to improving better living conditions through products that are environmentally safe in an ethical and inclusive manner”, said Aulia Mulki Oemar.

Furthermore, Aulia Mulki Oemar added, GIS has participated in sidewalk planning activities in Jakarta from 2016 to the present. In all of these revitalization activities, SIG applies environmentally friendly concrete products such as ThruCrete (porous concrete), LocooCrete (low carbon emission concrete), and DekoCrete (decorative concrete) by using environmentally friendly cement in the revitalization of sidewalks and other pavement areas.

Several sidewalk revitalization activities were carried out, including in the Gelora Bung Karno Senayan area, the Kebayoran Baru area (Blocks M, Barito, and Melawai), the MRT Line area (Youth Statue Roundabout to Fatmawati Station), the Banteng Field area, Istiqlal Mosque, Pasar Baru , Tugu Tani, Wahid Hasyim, Simpang Sarinah to Tanah Abang, several green open spaces, Tebet Eco Park, Lebak Bulus, Senayan, Panglima Polim, and Kramat Jati.

“Sidewalks that are friendly and safe for the environment are an important part of realizing a sustainable city, a city for all. These ideals can be realized with the collaboration of stakeholders to contribute to providing insight and changing lifestyles, using technology to create innovative solutions, having policies and road maps, as well as providing education and space for the community to get involved," he said. Aulia Mulki Oemar.

Meanwhile, the Head of the DKI Jakarta Highways Agency, Hari Nugroho, appreciated the event organized by SIG. This shows that the spirit to build the city of Jakarta will continue. According to him, the DKI Jakarta Provincial Government has a plan to revitalize the sidewalks in a sustainable manner.

“In the future, Jakarta will become a global city, a service city and a modern city. The characteristics of a modern city can be seen from the pedestrians. Therefore, we must pamper pedestrians by providing safe and comfortable sidewalks," said Hari Nugroho.

Hari Nugroho revealed, after the revitalization was carried out there was an increase in mobility on the sidewalk by 60℅. Meanwhile, the shift from private vehicles to public transportation increased by 30℅. "By the end of 2022, the Jakarta Highways Agency targets the revitalization of 22,740 km of sidewalks. Our task is still far away, so we need support and participation from many parties,” said Hari Nugroho.

The author of the book “Trotar for a Sustainable City”, Nirwono Joga explained, the background for the preparation of a book on sidewalks is to appreciate the DKI Jakarta Provincial Government for its efforts to revitalize sidewalks over the past five years. “Ahead of the ASEAN Games, the sidewalk revitalization is carried out on a large scale. After 2018, it increased rapidly, therefore, we appreciate the efforts of the DKI Jakarta Provincial Government in efforts to revitalize the sidewalks," said Nirwono Joga.

The existence of sidewalks, continued Nirwono Joga, has changed people's lifestyles. Especially young people who currently use public transportation a lot, as can be seen from the increasing use of the MRT. “The trend or goal of urban development in the world today is towards sidewalks. So that the construction of sidewalks in Jakarta must continue," said Nirwono Joga.