There are cities that announce themselves loudly, with skylines that rise almost overnight, and there are cities that arrive more softly, like a promise whispered before it is fully spoken. Nusantara belongs to the latter. Still under construction, still finding its rhythm, Indonesia’s future capital has often been framed as a place suspended between ambition and uncertainty, its wide roads and unfinished buildings inviting speculation as much as hope.
In recent months, images of Nusantara have circulated widely, some casting it as a city too quiet for its own vision. Empty avenues and vast open spaces have fueled the phrase “ghost town,” a label that lingers easily but settles unevenly. Yet officials in Jakarta have continued to urge patience, describing Nusantara not as abandoned, but as a city still learning how to breathe.
Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka has added his voice to this narrative, stating that Nusantara is expected to house around 4,000 civil servants by 2026. The number is modest when measured against the scale of the project, but it reflects a deliberate, phased transition rather than a sudden migration. In this view, a capital does not arrive all at once; it gathers people gradually, through routines, responsibilities, and the quiet weight of daily work.
Nusantara, planned deep in East Kalimantan, was never intended to mirror Jakarta’s density overnight. Instead, it was designed to grow with intention, balancing governance, sustainability, and long-term livability. Offices come first, then homes, followed by schools, services, and the subtle social fabric that only time can weave. For now, the city remains in an in-between state — functional in parts, unfinished in others.
Government representatives have emphasized that activity already exists within the area, from construction workers and planners to early administrative staff. Infrastructure continues to expand, and preparations for further relocations remain underway. The presence may not yet be bustling, but it is steady, and it signals continuity rather than retreat.
As 2026 approaches, Nusantara’s next chapter will likely be measured not by how crowded it feels, but by how effectively it serves its purpose. The arrival of civil servants will mark another step in Indonesia’s long-term effort to redistribute growth and redefine where power and population converge.
For now, Nusantara stands not as a ghost town, but as a city still becoming — its silence less an absence, and more a pause before the fuller cadence of life begins.
AI Image Disclaimer Illustrations were produced with AI and serve as conceptual depictions rather than real photographs.
Sources Reuters Bloomberg Channel NewsAsia The Jakarta Post Nikkei Asia