Indonesia’s new capital city Ibu Kota Nusantara (IKN), which is about 15 per cent completed, has released a smartphone application that will ultimately allow residents to access public services with a tap and a swipe.
Features are still being added to the IKNOW app, which was released in February. But users can already use it for basic needs such as contacting emergency services and navigating within the planned 250,000ha city in the forest.
Read more: No people? No problem: App for Indonesia’s new capital gets ready for future residents
The Indonesian government claims that the Nusantara Capital City (IKN) will become a world-class smart city with an intelligent transportation system.
"One of the public service domains that will be presented in IKN is smart transportation and mobility which will transform the way people get around," said the Deputy for Green and Digital Transformation of the IKN Authority, Mohammed Ali Berawi, on April 26.
Read more: Smart City: 5 Advanced Transportation Modes to Operate in Indonesia's New Capital
Indonesia, as the ASEAN Smart City Network (ASCN) shepherd, has strengthened partnerships across stakeholders, including the community, to realize smart, resilient, and sustainable cities.
"Collaboration involving the public and private sectors, as the wider stakeholders, through ASCN and other relevant platforms can bring better solutions for smart city development," the Home Ministry's director general of regional administration development, Amran, said, according to a press statement issued here on Friday.
Senior Researcher Tauhid Ahmad from the Institute for Development of Economics and Finance (Indef) estimates that developing Indonesia's future capital, Nusantara, into a smart city will require between Rp 300 trillion ($18.7 billion) and Rp 400 trillion. The cost of smart city projects is significantly higher than that of conventional infrastructure.
“Smart cities, for instance, use electric vehicles, which are more expensive than traditional ones. This necessitates a larger budget,” Tauhid Ahmad explained during an interview with Investor Daily TV (IDTV) on Wednesday.
Read more: ID: Nusantara's Smart City Vision Requires Over Rp 300 Trillion: Indef
If you weren’t already aware, the world’s gaze will soon switch towards Indonesia for this year’s Independence Day celebrations — where it will bear witness to the opening ceremony of Nusantara, Indonesia’s new capital city on the island of Borneo.
Set to replace Jakarta as the nation’s capital, the estimated $33 billion project is positioned to officially open on August 17th, 2024.
Read more: ID: Nusantara: $33BN Forest Smart City Opening in August