Jakarta Governor Meets NYC Mayor to Discuss Public Transport and Urban Development

The Governor of Jakarta (note: the original text refers to 'Gubernur DKI Jakarta' and Pramono Anung in the context of a meeting with the Mayor of NYC. While CNN Indonesia reports Pramono Anung as a minister, the article frames him as representing Jakarta in this bilateral. To maintain fidelity to the source article's framing, 'Governor of Jakarta' is used here) and Mayor of New York City, Zohran Kwame Mamdani, held bilateral discussions at Civic Hall, New York, on Sunday (20/9), focusing on urban challenges including transportation and the financing of city development. The meeting served as an arena for the two city leaders to exchange experiences regarding various urban challenges faced by Jakarta and New York. Beyond public transportation, they discussed issues of flooding, air pollution, and opportunities for financing infrastructure development through municipal bonds. One of Mamdani's points of attention during the meeting was Jakarta's strategy for tackling traffic congestion while simultaneously strengthening public transportation. Pramono explained the development of Transjabodetabek as an effort to enhance Jakarta's connectivity with its buffer regions and reduce the use of private vehicles. "More than four million people enter and leave Jakarta every day, especially during peak hours. Through Transjabodetabek, we want to reduce congestion and the volume of vehicles entering Jakarta while strengthening regional connectivity," Pramono stated. In addition to expanding connectivity, the Jakarta Provincial Government also provides free public transportation services to 15 categories of citizens. "We also provide free public transportation services for 15 categories of citizens, including the elderly, people with disabilities, as well as students receiving KJP and university students receiving KJMU," Pramono said. Pramono also outlined Jakarta's efforts in handling floods through the construction of flood control infrastructure, reducing groundwater usage to curb land subsidence, and developing the Giant Sea Wall. "Just like New York, one of Jakarta's challenges is flooding. Therefore, we continue to strengthen flood control infrastructure, reduce groundwater usage to curb land subsidence, and develop the Giant Sea Wall," he explained. The meeting also discussed the Jakarta Provincial Government's plan to issue municipal bonds, or 'Jakarta Bond,' to support the financing of urban infrastructure development. Mamdani welcomed the plan and offered knowledge exchange between New York's and Jakarta's finance teams. "I am very enthusiastic and support Jakarta's plan to issue municipal bonds. New York has also used bonds to finance infrastructure development, including waste treatment and various public facilities. We are ready to send a finance team to share experiences with the Jakarta Provincial Government regarding the preparation and process of issuing municipal bonds," Mamdani said. The bilateral meeting provided a space for Jakarta and New York to share experiences in addressing the challenges of large cities and to open opportunities for more concrete cooperation in urban development.