Jakarta Uses Placemaking Concept to Revive City Spaces

RRI.CO.ID, Jakarta – Have you heard about the famous street music district in Memphis, United States, or the fashion hub in Shinjuku, Japan? These areas have strong distinctive characteristics because they implement the placemaking concept.

Placemaking is a concept for organizing urban areas to make them more vibrant, focusing not only on physical constructions and economic activities but also on fostering social interaction among people. Currently, this approach is beginning to be implemented in Indonesia, with Jakarta being one example.

Division Head of Business Planning and Expansion at MRT Jakarta, Samuel Ryan Pradipta Pranowo, explained that Blok M serves as a true example of this concept’s success. In his statement at Wisma Nusantara, Jakarta, on Wednesday, September 9, 2026, he noted that Blok M has now developed into a comfortable economic area based on MSMEs.

He said, “Back then, the area around Blok M was almost dead, with hardly anyone around, the park was a total eyesore. But now it’s been completely transformed. It’s become a comfortable space for everyone. And most importantly, the economy has actually grown. There are now nearly 500 MSMEs operating as MRT tenants.”

Besides boosting the economy, the success of the Blok M revitalization is also supported by an activity generation partnership. Samuel noted that the key to this concept is organizing diverse activities that engage the public and local communities, such as entertainment events, festivals, and exhibitions.

“There must be activities that involve the public and the community, events or activities that people can actually come to. For example, just the other day we held the JSD Blok M Festival in collaboration with JSD and MRT. It turned out to be amazing, the crowd was huge. There were all kinds of activities there, including a sneaker market and a Naykilla concert,” he said.

Furthermore, Samuel explained that the main goal of placemaking is to transform a “liveable city” into a “loveable city” by building an emotional bond between the city and its visitors. In this concept, the area is designed as a “third place”, that is, a place where people can engage in activities outside their homes (“first place”) and their workplaces or schools (“second place”).

He noted that this thematic approach is similar to urban development abroad. In addition to Shinjuku in Japan, which is famous for its fashion district, there is also Akihabara, a hub for anime enthusiasts. Other examples include Lawn on D in Boston, USA, which offers green open spaces for relaxation, and Soulsville in Memphis, USA, a vibrant hub for street musicians.

Samuel said that MRT Jakarta is striving to adopt these international principles for implementation in Jakarta, while also serving as an example for other cities in Indonesia. “MRT Jakarta is trying to bring this concept to Jakarta, and our hope is that MRT can help ensure these principles are applied not only in Jakarta but also in other cities across Indonesia, because, after all, we all need a ‘third place’ to unwind,” Samuel said.

Currently, the implementation of placemaking in the Blok M area continues to be refined. Then, similar concepts are being prepared for the Kota Tua area and other locations, which will be adjusted to suit the characteristics and demographic profiles of each area.