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Learning from Cities - The 2nd Guangzhou International Award for Urban Innovation

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Learning from Cities— The 2nd Guangzhou International Award for Urban Innovation

finance, stockholding company and business services accounted for 29% of Jakarta's GDP. Due to the electronics, a u t o m a t i o n , c h e m i c a l i n d u s t r y, mechanical engineering and biomedical industries, manufacturing industries are very diverse in Jakarta. At present, Jakarta’s GDP per capita is USD 12,600. As to the geographical conditions, Jakarta, the junction of South-East Asia

□ The National Monument is in the centre of Merdeka Square, Central Jakarta, symbolizing the fight for Indonesia

and Oceania, is located in Jakarta Bay along the north coast of Java Island.

Dense rivers, abundant rainfall as

Jakarta is in a low and flat basin, with

well as lowland structure make Jakarta

an altitude ranging from -2 meters to 50

vulnerable to urban inland inundation.

meters (an average of 8 meters above

More severely, Jakarta itself is sinking.

sea level). 40% of Jakarta, especially

Brinkman, the engineer of Academy of

the northern region, are below the sea

Water Resources in Delft, Netherlands,

level. On the contrary, the south is more

believes that although the rise of sea level

mountainous. Jakarta lies in the delta

is caused by global warming, but the

where 13 rivers converge with rivers

main reason for Jakarta invaded by sea

flowing from Puncak Highlands towards

water is the over development of the city,

the north into the Java Sea. Among them,

resulting in the subsided ground under

the most important river is the Ciliwung,

the unbearable weight of buildings. In

which divides the whole city into two

fact, except for the pressure of buildings,

administrative districts—the eastern part

factories, hotels and wealthy squatters

and the western one. Jakarta belongs

of Jakarta have extracted underground

to tropical rainforest climate, with the

water in an uncontrolled way, which

average temperature of 27°C. Under the

has further aggravated the problem. Dr.

influence of the equator, there will be west

Shaffwan, the researcher in Institute

monsoon season from November to the

of Academy of Sciences of the Earth

next April and the east monsoon season

Science and Oceanography Research

from May to October. The average annual

Center in Bandung, Indonesia, said

precipitation is 2000 millimeters and the

according to the measurement from 1925

highest rainfall happens in January.

to 2003, sea level in Jakarta has risen by


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