Jakarta Ranks Among the 15 Cities with the Lowest Sustainable Development

Jakarta ranked 88th in the 2016 Sustainable Cities Index. Out of 100 surveyed cities, the Indonesian capital only outperformed Johannesburg, Mumbai, Wuhan, Manila, New Delhi, and seven other cities worldwide. Ranking in the bottom 15, Jakarta is considered a low-quality city. Jakarta's low index score stems from a significant gap between economic development and environmental sustainability. Furthermore, infrastructure development in Jakarta is considered a contributing factor to traffic congestion.

The Sustainable Cities Index was released by Arcandis, an Amsterdam-based architectural and urban planning consultancy. According to Arcandis, cities that have significantly improved both their economy and quality of life rank higher, while cities still primarily focused on economic development tend to rank lower.

Three indicators measure sustainable city development: people, planet, and profit. "People" measures efforts to improve citizens' quality of life. "Planet" assesses environmental conditions and the availability of natural resources. "Profit" measures the city's performance from a business and economic perspective.