Jakarta, the capital of Indonesia, has risen to the world's largest city by United Nations count. The U.N. changed how it classifies megacity regions, grouping Jakarta and its surrounding satellite cities into a single urban area, officially recognizing a mega region of about 42 million people. The figure surpasses the Tokyo metropolitan area, long classified as the world's largest city.
According to the Financial Times (FT) on the 28th (local time), the U.N. recalculated city rankings last month, shifting from the previous administrative-boundary-based tally to a standard based on continuous urban areas where actual economic and living spheres are connected. Accordingly, instead of the Indonesian government's own tally of 11 million people in Jakarta's urban core, it evaluated the entire capital region as one urban area by grouping Bogor, Depok, Tangerang, Bekasi and other suburbs. As a result, Jakarta jumped from 30th in 2018 to 1st.
Under the same standard, Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh, ranked second with a population of 36.6 million. As major Asian cities dominated the top ranks, a debate has flared over how far a city's "size" should be defined.
The Jakarta government and local urban planning experts have said they do not agree with the U.N. definition. They argue that bundling areas beyond administrative and fiscal responsibility into a single city does not match reality. Still, they agreed that the ranking change could serve as a chance to confront urban problems.
Jakarta is already under severe pressure from traffic congestion, air pollution and land subsidence. Some areas are sinking as much as 20 centimeters a year, and rush-hour gridlock has become routine. One public policy expert at Indonesia University said the results are a warning that expanding infrastructure and improving quality of life can no longer be delayed.
Jakarta Governor Pramono Anung said, "We should focus on the warning in the numbers rather than the U.N. ranking itself." The governor said he would focus on improving public transit to handle a commuting population of 3.5 million to 4 million people every day. The Jakarta city government plans to allocate 30% of next year's budget to transportation and infrastructure.
However, a reduction in central government financial support is adding to the burden. As the new administration concentrates its budget on large-scale welfare programs, subsidies for Jakarta have decreased. Concerns are growing that the pace of infrastructure expansion may not keep up with the city's growth.
Even so, Jakarta is still seen as the center of Indonesia's economy. Even by the urban core population alone, it accounts for about 16.7% of gross domestic product. That is why commuting continues despite infrastructure limits. But the expense and time burden of travel for residents pushed to the outskirts is steadily growing.
Urban policy experts drew a line, saying, "This U.N. tally does not mean Jakarta has become a 'more global city' than Tokyo." However, they assessed that "it is highly symbolic as a case showing that modern cities can no longer be explained by administrative boundaries and are being redefined by economic and living spheres."