He addressed all mayors attending a national meeting of the Association of Indonesian Municipal Governments (Apeksi) in Balikpapan, East Kalimantan, on Tuesday.
"In the next 10–20 years, all cities will face traffic congestion," said the president, who is popularly known as Jokowi. "They need to develop city plans for mass transportation."
He underscored the need to prepare plans in detail to create livable and beloved urban spaces.
He also emphasized the importance of planning to prevent social challenges caused by an increase in the number of homeless and jobless people in cities.
"We must not let Indonesian cities experience the same situation as those in the United States and Europe, which are grappling with high unemployment and homelessness rates," he stressed.
He highlighted traffic congestion as a growing problem affecting almost all major cities in the country. The mayors of Balikpapan, Surabaya, Bandung, and Medan acknowledged the worsening traffic congestion in their respective regions.
"We see that many cities in Indonesia are starting to get congested. Therefore, city plans regarding mass transportation and public transportation must be prepared," he stressed.
He expressed hope that detailed urban spatial planning would result in the development of attractive and desirable housing for residents.
"We want to make all cities livable, comfortable, and beloved," Jokowi stated. "We want visitors to return, and those who live there love their city because the government provides good public services to its people."
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Translator: Andi Firdaus, Resinta Sulistiyandari
Editor: Anton Santoso
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