Jakarta citizens are surprised by news of Indonesia’s tallest mall in the Central Jakarta district. Agora Thamrin Nine Mall is set to stand tall with its 9 floors, housing a diverse range of tenants and entertainment options.
Located in the Autograph Building, the highest structure in Indonesia, Agora Thamrin Nine Mall is poised to claim the title of the country’s tallest shopping centre. The Autograph Building boasts a towering height of 385 meters, equivalent to three times the National Monument’s (Monas) height.
Interestingly, the news of the mall’s opening has sparked a wave of controversial comments among the people in Jakarta.
On 11th January 2024, @jktgo shared on Instagram that Agora Thamrin Nine is gearing up for its grand opening soon, featuring exclusive tenants like Spincity Bowling, BMW Experience Center, Dog Playground, a Music Hall with a seating capacity of 4,500 people, Sports Hall, Rooftop Swimming Pool, Children’s Playground, Cinema, and various F&B outlets.
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The Instagram comments section witnessed a variety of opinions from Jakarta residents, expressing a greater need for public green spaces rather than additional shopping centres. Here are some comments from netizens on @jktgo’s post:
“Jakarta already has plenty of malls. What we lack are more green spaces. Hhhhadeuh 🙃” commented @oniesrunning.
“We need more open green areas, not skyscrapers” commented @alayandro.
“Why construct another mall?! We crave more accessible green spaces for all Jakarta residents to enjoy and cool down the city. It’s wiser to enhance and broaden places like One Satrio or Urban Forest, rather than competing for the title of the ‘tallest building,'” commented @megaagnesty.
The shortage of open spaces in Jakarta has become a significant concern in recent years. According to 2023 data from Katadata, Jakarta’s green open spaces account for only 5.2% of the total province area, equivalent to 33.34 million square meters. Here’s the breakdown of green open space across different regions in Jakarta:
- East Jakarta: 26,2%
- South Jakarta: 24,87%
- North Jakarta: 20,93%
- Central Jakarta: 12,69%
- West Jakarta: 8,64%
The DKI Jakarta government persists in its efforts to enhance the conversion of green open space by 2024. This is due to the existing figure in Jakarta falling significantly below the ideal standard for green open space in the city, which is set at 30%.
