This project explores the potential of an area facing multiple challenges with limited resources. The City of Yogyakarta is a well-known tourism destination as the site of the famous temple of Borobudur. It is also a significant government, education, and historic/cultural center. Having said that, the economy has failed to diversify into other sectors and has limited industrial and service sector employment. Tourism is still seen as a potential driver of development, although most of the infrastructure is relatively undeveloped. 

Significant parts of the city are characterized by dense informal settlements, particularly along the rivers where there is occasional flooding. Some of these areas are heavily polluted and lack modern services (eg. clean water, sanitation, solid waste management). Nevertheless, these rivers are an amenity and provide an appealing open space network where residents mix daily life activities with leisure and recreation.

The World Bank hired the team to explore the pre-feasibility of various development options that would help improve the area and contribute to broader economic development. “Pre-feasibility” in this case meant determining: roughly where and what the project is,  what it might cost, revenue it might generate, economic (and other) impacts it might have, ways to recoup the cost, and determining whether benefits exceed the cost.

The end recommendation was for a new "River Walk" attraction and some limited property development that would help fund various needed infrastructure improvements.  

Planning for the project was a complex process that required economic research and analysis, examination of environmental and social impacts, assessments of technical and financial feasibility, and public consultation/community engagement. 

Role: While employed at AECOM as a Director of Economics + Planning in SE Asia, Brian Jennett lead a team of economists, tourism specialists, and property professionals, as well as urban designers, environmental and transportation planners, civil engineers, sociologists, policy and legal experts, local academics, and community facilitators to complete this work.