ArchDaily · Creativity & design

Jakarta's Great Garuda: Climate Defense Meets Urban Development

Jakarta's Great Garuda plan, a mythical bird-shaped seawall, aimed to protect the sinking capital and create new land, highlighting the overlap between climate adaptation and urban expansion.

Jakarta faces coastal threats from subsidence and flooding. The 2015 NCICD plan proposed an offshore dike system, combining flood defense with land reclamation and economic development.

The NCICD reshaped the coastline, integrating urban fabric with offshore defenses and reclaimed territory. The Great Garuda was a large-scale reclamation scheme for flood infrastructure and city expansion.

Integrating flood protection with land production altered planning. The 17-island reclamation was linked to NCICD, with developer profits intended to fund public infrastructure.

This linked land creation to infrastructure finance, making the coast a protective edge and development asset. Competition between flood protection and land production posed a risk.

The coast is home to communities whose livelihoods depend on the water. Reclamation has led to altered territorial access and dispossession, as seen in developments like Golf Island.

For existing communities, reclamation brings displacement threats alongside environmental issues. Natural defenses like mangroves have also degraded due to reclamation.

The Great Garuda's form is gone, but coastal issues remain. Current NCICD efforts use conventional seawalls, with plans for a larger Giant Sea Wall. Balancing water, land, and development remains key.

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