Ecohydrology Approach to Strengthen Public Green Open Space Management towards Comfortable Common Space and Playground in Kalijodo Area – Jakarta Province, Indonesia

Abstract

Jakarta City is one of the largest cities in Indonesia, experiencing urban areas development generally intensive and unsustainable. This development impacts directly or indirectly on landscape degradation. Kalijodo is one of the important public open spaces (POS) constructed in the Jakarta Capital Special Region to facilitate different social functions and ecosystem services. This paper aims to describe the non-ideal condition of the Kalijodo area as a POS and to strengthen its functions towards a Public Green Open Space (PGOS). The Kalijodo POS had actually 47.91 % vegetated and 52.09 % of non-vegetated land cover and this area cannot be categorized as PGOS due to its vegetated land cover under a minimum threshold of 75 %. This condition is closely related to other aspects and parameters which indicate that Kalijodo POS has low water absorption ability, low water storage capacity, high average air temperature, high Thermal Humidity Index (THI), and low potential for economic benefits. The ecohydrology principles were taken into consideration for understanding, assessment, and identification of possible efforts to achieve the PGOS level. Several possible actions would be suggested for improvement consisting of increasing vegetated land cover, replacing pavement hardeners, introducing bio pores, constructing water ponds and wetlands, increasing public participation, and adjusting appropriate government policy and regulations. These efforts will probably have positive impacts on average air temperature reduction, increasing water absorption ability and potential economic gain, entering THI to a comfort zone and positive people's perception, as well as increasing people attendance.