Indonesia-JICA Cooperation in The MRT Jakarta Phase II Project As an Implementation of SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities

Abstract

 DKI Jakarta faces challenges in urban mobility and air quality, with the share of public transportation modes still far below the city's official target of 30 percent for 2030, while the transportation sector continues to dominate carbon monoxide emissions. This study analyzes the Indonesia-JICA bilateral cooperation on the Jakarta MRT Phase II and its contribution to SDG 11, specifically Targets 11.2 and 11.6, at the city level. Using a qualitative descriptive approach based on semi-structured interviews with a senior official from the Directorate General of Railways, Ministry of Transportation, triangulated with official JICA documentation and academic literature, the study finds that Phase II contributes to Target 11.2 through expanding rail access to currently underserved corridors and integrating transit-oriented development, and to Target 11.6 through STEP-mandated zero-emission electric propulsion technology and a modal shift away from private vehicles. Importantly, these contributions were embedded in the project design from the outset, rather than being applied retrospectively. The study concludes that a key advantage of bilateral Official Development Assistance (ODA) lies in its ability to embed SDG implementation within an incentive architecture that simultaneously aligns the interests of national governments, provincial governments, and private operators, offering a replicable model for local SDG implementation in rapidly urbanizing cities.