Cities Development Project in Indonesia

The Capstone team worked with the World Bank on an urban project identification mission in four Indonesian cities (Surabaya, Yogyakarta, Balikpapan, and Makassar) with a particular focus on their planning departments. The new project is intended to help these cities to tackle the challenges of rapid urban growth through investment decisions that are both economically and ecologically sustainable. The team reviewed ideas for investment projects being planned by each city and did a preliminary assessment of their suitability for potential financing by low-interest loans to be provided through the project. In addition, the team interviewed key staff members to determine planning department requirements for technical assistance to strengthen their institutional capacity to implement the identified investments. The team provided input into the design of future capacity building workshops, assisted in drafting a Terms of Reference for a larger needs assessment, and collaborated on a preliminary design of its initial components.