Digest #1:Meikarta, The Smart and Green City

Courtesy of Lippo Group

What is the Meikarta Satellite City Project?

The Meikarta Satellite City is a planned new urban settlement in the Bekasi, West Java region of Indonesia.

Meikarta, being a proposed smart and green city, is to be built with state of the art infrastructures and operated in line with global sustainability practices. It is anticipated by the Meikarta Satellite City project planners that the project will serve as a sustainable city model for other cities in Indonesia to adapt sustainability principles into their designs, operations and maintenance, thereby making Indonesia a sustainable place for all.

Potential Social Impacts

It is clear from all indications that one of the opportunities associated with the Meikarta City project will be its high employment generation capacity and one of its positive social impacts will be the creation of white-collar jobs. The much talk about presence of world-class electronic manufacturing companies, hospitals and universities will mean that there will be a high demand for engineers, medical doctors and teachers respectively as well as other professionals.


Courtesy of Lippo Group


It is imperative to note that the aforementioned companies are expected to have a global market with customers in different parts of the world. As a result, the city’s potential job seekers will be required to be well qualified to deliver quality products and services of global standards and consequently remunerated well, potentially at rates equivalent to their counterparts in developed countries such as the UK and the USA. This means that the earnings capacities of the city workers are expected to be above the national average earnings in Indonesia.

There are increasing research findings that suggest there is a relationship between pay and job satisfaction as well as creativity. The more creative workers are, the more likeliness of them discovering and launching game-changing innovations. In summary, workers in the city that are paid well can improve their employers’ productivity, profitability and scalability. These will no doubt serve as a driver for companies in the city to expand their operations and hire as well as retain workers, thereby contributing to social welfare and improving the living standards of people in the area.

Not only will the potential job seekers be guaranteed good remunerations, it is likely that their pay and roles will be reviewed periodically (and increased) as they acquire more skills on the job. This is because it is anticipated that companies in the city will adapt global best practices to their operations. Considering the fact that periodic review of workers’ pay and roles are common practices in international markets with good operating practices. In other words, there will be opportunities for career progression for potential job seekers in the Meikarta area in the event that the aforementioned conditions occur.

The planned presence of hospitals in the city with state of the art facilities will be another social good. This will provide city inhabitants with access to a good health service and treatment facilities, if needed, thereby making people fit and happy. Also, it will reduce illnesses as well as mortality rates in the area.

Citizenry empowerment initiatives will also be visible in the city based on the current city’s plan. The development of universities of global standards will enable the city’s inhabitants to gain knowledge and become better people and the fact cannot be ignored that knowledge is power; it empowers people to function at their very best.

One cannot omit the tourism sector when highlighting the potential impacts the Meikarta City project will create. With 10 five star hotels to be launched, tourist visits to the area are expected and consequently more revenue for the city.

Potential Environmental Impacts

The planned development of greenfields, parks and gardens as well as a mini zoo and lake in the city will be good for the environment.

Greenfields, parks and gardens pull out carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and create a clean environment. Also, they provide avenues for people to relax and participate in leisure activities, leading to a more happy community. Furthermore, they will serve as a driver for community interaction and cohesion, as people tend to use such grounds for meet-ups.


Courtesy of Lippo Group


The lake and mini zoo will be good for managing and improving biodiversity in the Meikarta area, thus a sustainable development for the city.

With the proposed cycle and pedestrian paths, residents are likely to embark on some of their journeys by cycling and walking. These will reduce transport emissions in the city.

A future environmental policy is expected to be implemented to manage the city’s operation. This should drive energy, carbon, water and waste management and make the city a green place for all.

Conclusion

It is noteworthy that the aforementioned positive social and environmental impacts are expected to be produced by Meikarta. The city as the title of this article suggests will be a smart and green one.


For more information about this sustainable beauty, please visit Blue Ocean Network, China @ http://www.bon.tv


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Cinque Terre Written by Zakari Ajia, the founder of GreenPad Enterprise,

a multi award-winning sustainability focused company. He is passionate about sustainability and smart cities and the impacts that can be generated from them. His expertise in sustainability issues earned him working with Blue Ocean Network, China, an English-language television news network based in China, analysing the future of sustainability in Meikarta, Indonesia.