The River City of Banjarmasin

In 2009, the government of Banjarmasin City, Indonesia, will hold International Competition on Urban Planning Concept and Ideas of Banjarmasin City based on the river system. Banjarmasin is the capital city of South Kalimantan (Borneo), one of Province in Indonesia. The city is laid on flood-prone waterways, located on delta near the Barito-Martapura rivers junction. Banjarmasin has developed on almost 105 rivers, creeks, and canals, so it is famous as the River City.

Since many years ago, rivers have influenced characteristic of the city, in accordance with physical condition, ecology, culture, and economy. For example, many houses are built on rafts or stilts over the water. People using the river as a major transportation, floating market, and most of their menu based on fish and vegetable grown around the river bank.

Nowadays, development of Banjarmasin has hardly paid attention to their river system and neglected them, and the city had lost their river image and impression, the natural resources, and their river culture. Development orientation of the city has changed from river-base to land-base, which valued the rivers just as a complement not as a heart of living as before. Now, we have to realize that existence of these hundred rivers must be part of the city arrangement and development.

The Competition

The competition will give participants the opportunities to propose the conceptual plans and ideas, and to participate in the creation of new vibrant communal and commercial spatial typologies along the waterway. Plans and Ideas from the participants of the competition will illustrate the potential of the city those integrated with identity and local culture, river ecology, and sustainable development.

The final result of the competition is the planning concept and idea of Banjarmasin city development that based on the river system. It will use as technical development planning and detail design for implementation of sustainable development of the city regarding to Indonesian government rules and laws. It also support Banjarmasin to achieve it vision and mission as the Metropolitan city based on river system.

http://www.banjarmasincompetition.com/