TOWNLAND has been engaged in numerous Master Planning projects over the last 30+ years across the Asia Pacific region.  Such projects have encompassed a diversity of land uses comprising of Mixed Use Mega Townships, Residential Neighbourhoods, Industrial & Business Parks, Integrated Resorts and beyond.   Over many years, we have the privilege of seeing our designs come to life.  Some projects are built quickly, whilst other larger scale projects require many decades to unfold.  In a series of articles, we share our experience on two built Master Planning projects, the first of which is the Summarecon Bekasi New Township in Indonesia.

Summarecon Bekasi is one of TOWNLAND’s first major Township Master Planning projects to be built in Indonesia. The Master Plan for the ±250ha Township was finalized in 2009 and development commenced the following year of 2010. The primary objective of the Development is to create a new Satellite City which provides commercial and public facilities to cater to the surrounding dense residential areas and to the wider regency of Bekasi.

Considering the Site was originally rice paddies – low-lying and wet, the Master Plan creates a number of water bodies which not only act as retention buffers but also prevent flooding.   Extensive green open spaces are also provided to create a pleasant living environment which, together with the water bodies, add significant value for residents. To improve accessibility to the commercial facilities from surrounding areas, the Master Plan proposes a flyover across an existing commuter rail-line, which increases connectivity to the adjacent toll road and creates a gateway entrance statement into the Township.

In 2014, TOWNLAND was asked to update the Master Plan for an area at the North East of the Site to accommodate Client’s vision for a shift in lifestyle towards compact, high-density residential development integrated with public transportation. A nearby train station in particular acted as the catalyst for the successful development of a Transit Oriented Development (TOD) within the Township and the renewed Master Plan elaborated the TOD concept for the Site by allocating several parcels of mixed-use apartment blocks surrounding a central lake park, serviced with a Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system that connects to the nearby train station and the regional railway network.

Following the success of the initial implementation of the first phases of the Development, TOWNLAND was subsequently appointed to design all of the public realm and the streetscape along the main boulevards, as well as to prepare the Detailed Site Plan for various residential clusters and the landscape design for selected apartment developments.

Since construction commenced in 2010, the Township has taken shape following closely to our original Master Plan. However, as with most large-scale Townships that go through a long period of development, changes are inevitable; and various elements of the plan have been adjusted in line with evolving market demand.  Whilst the main structure of the original Master Plan has been retained, what was originally a predominately low-density landed housing project has seen selected development parcels converted into higher-density apartments as well as commercial-facilities which offer a more diverse product offering to capture a wider market.  This highlights the importance of creating Master Plans which offer flexibility to accommodate changing demands over time.