THE State of Government of Victoria, Australia held a forum on the topic “Liveable and Sustainable Cities of the Future” in Jakarta, Indonesia on 5 July 2012. The forum was supported by the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KADIN) and provided a platform for the Australian Experts to discuss some of the latest innovations adopted in meeting the needs of rapid urbanisation as well as the need for sustainable development and health.
The Australian delegates consist of 16 companies that have global recognition in planning, designing, and developing liveable and sustainable cities. The forum was also attended by prominent figures such as the Director of Trade and Engagement ASEAN, The State of Governmnet of Victoria, Australia, James Myres, the President of Indonesian-Australian Business Council, S.D. Darmono, the Vice President of Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Bambang Sujagad S, and Imam S. Eknawi, representing the Indonesian Minister of Public Works who delivered the keynote speech on ‘Planning Indonesian Sustainable Cities’.
The forum consisted of two sessions. The first one was about ‘Building liveable and sustainable cities of the future’, and the second one was about ‘Building healthier hospitals’, where the members of the delegation shared their experiences.
The main objective of the industry forum was to provide a platform for local providers to discuss and network with Victoria’s leading organisations that deliver world class sustainable urban and health infrastructure. Forum topics covered a broad range including latest innovations adopted in meeting the constantly changing needs of rapid urbanization.
According to Tim Dillon, Victorian Commissioner to South East Asia, rapid urbanization and globalization has made many governments re-examine their urban planning policies and reposition themselves to enhance their competitiveness, whether for tourism, leisure or to attract more investment or people into the city.
Imam Eknawi in the keynote speech spoke on key infrastructure projects and new regulations that have been put in place to drive greener and sustainable cities development. Promoting sustainable urbanisation is among Indonesia’s key national development objectives as outlined in the 2010-2014 National Medium Term Development Plan, the second phase of implementation of the 2005-2025 National Long-Term Development Plan.
The forum was mainly targeted for service and solution providers in these sectors: government, general civil infrastructure, project management, civil engineering, quantity surveying and cost controlling, architecture, health infrastructure, hospital design and related technologies and systems, public-private partnerships and water sector engineering and technologies.
