Indonesia cities are the product of sparse planning, floods, overdevelopment, brownouts and epic traffic jams magnified by the dearth of public transit. In response, private planned cities like CitraLand's Singapore of Surabaya are growing rapidly.
Replica's of Singapore most famous monuments such as the Fountain of Wealth mark one entrance to CitraLand - a planned city 15 miles west of downtown Surabaya. To many Indonesians, Singapore is a familiar destination for shopping, schooling and medical care and is known throughout the world for its first class infrastructure.
"In 2003, Ciputra began turning a parcel of land larger than six Central Parks into a Singapore simulacrum, now complete with residential and commercial areas, a university, eight schools, seven banks, a hospital, a church, a mosque, a golf course and an amusement park," reports Norimitsu Onishi.
Pushing a cart through a supermarket in CitraLand recently, Carol Isbandi, 31, said she and her husband moved here two years ago with their two sons after tiring of life in Surabaya.
"We just wanted to live in a place that's as clean as Singapore," she said, "and where everything is in order."
FULL STORY: For City Dwellers, a Taste of The Orderly Life
Jakarta's Suburb in the Sky
A rooftop housing development in the Indonesian capital takes the suburb to new heights.
Before and After Carpool Lanes
The Guardian shares news of a new study of a Jakarta lane that could prove that carpool requirements work to reduce driving and congestion.
Jakarta's Titantic 25-Mile Seawall
Indonesia's capital, population 10 million, is slowly sinking below sea level. To protect itself and drive the economy, the city is building a 25-mile bird-shaped seawall, to be topped with luxury development.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
San Francisco's School District Spent $105M To Build Affordable Housing for Teachers — And That's Just the Beginning
SFUSD joins a growing list of school districts using their land holdings to address housing affordability challenges faced by their own employees.
The Tiny, Adorable $7,000 Car Turning Japan Onto EVs
The single seat Mibot charges from a regular plug as quickly as an iPad, and is about half the price of an average EV.
Seattle's Plan for Adopting Driverless Cars
Equity, safety, accessibility and affordability are front of mind as the city prepares for robotaxis and other autonomous vehicles.
As Trump Phases Out FEMA, Is It Time to Flee the Floodplains?
With less federal funding available for disaster relief efforts, the need to relocate at-risk communities is more urgent than ever.
With Protected Lanes, 460% More People Commute by Bike
For those needing more ammo, more data proving what we already knew is here.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
Smith Gee Studio
City of Charlotte
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
US High Speed Rail Association
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
Municipality of Princeton (NJ)