Pondok Indah

Far from being elite as it is today, Pondok Indah was previously a dry field, rice fields, plantations, and a vast expanse of rubber and secondary crops plantations.[1]

At one point, the area was visited by an architect and urban developer, Ciputra. At that time, Ciputra had to pass through a small road that was only 6 meters wide and in the form of a cobblestone road to reach the area that would become the forerunner of Pondok Indah, now the small road in the form of rocks has become Jalan Radio Dalam Raya.[1]

According to Ciputra, the plantation area is very strategic, because it is bordered by Jalan Ciputat Raya (which was previously part of the National Road from Jakarta to Bogor that passed through Palmerah, Ciputat and Parung) to the west and Lebak Bulus to the south. The most important thing is because the plantation area is located close to the Kebayoran Baru Satellite City, the first modern satellite city in Indonesia. Another thing is because the plantation area is not a flood-prone area and the soil does not contain salt like in the northern region of Jakarta. The area is also still a stretch of mild forest and a source of clean water.[1]

To turn the plantation into an elite residence, Ciputra took businessman Liem Sioe Liong. Even though at that time, Liem Sioe Liong wanted to develop the Sunter area, North Jakarta. However, Ciputra assesses that the area that is actually developing is in South Jakarta because the soil and air quality are still good. Meanwhile, the Sunter area has poor soil and air quality.[1]

After listening to Ciputra's presentation, Liem also agreed to work together to finance the Pondok Pinang project. Liem gave the loan and borrowed the rest from Bank Dagang Negara (which became the forerunner of Bank Mandiri) with a recommendation from Liem Sioe Liong and a project guarantee. He said:

The area can be turned into a luxurious residence that will continue to shine from time to time. I can make a master plan right away. Regarding the permit to work on a project in this area, I can talk to Mr. Ali Sadikin immediately.

— [1]

The area is named "Pondok Indah". According to Ciputra, the name of the pondok refers to the area name in the area, namely Pondok Pinang. Literally, pondok means residence or house. Thus, if the word cottage is combined with the word beautiful, it will mean "beautiful house". The name Pondok Indah is in accordance with Ciputra's wishes as the most luxurious residence in Jakarta.

Believe me, it will not be in vain for us to build this area. All people will recognize Pondok Indah as an expensive settlement in Jakarta. It happened because we have created a luxurious environment there,

— Ciputra, [1]

The advertisement of Pondok Indah c. 1970s–1980s

After preparing the legal entity and the masterplan, Ciputra and his colleagues started building the Pondok Indah area which was previously a plantation starting in the 1970s.The first project to be completed was the construction of a road in accordance with the mapping of plots that had been made and the construction of a waterway.

At the beginning of construction, some houses were only built as examples. The rest, Ciputra sells lots. This is based on the behavior of elites who want to build their own house according to their desire (as shown in the poster). Even so, Ciputra also opened a request if there was a buyer who wanted to build his house.

Ciputra was worried because the funds spent to acquire land and build road infrastructure and waterways were enormous. To work around this, Ciputra and his team built tiny houses north of Pondok Indah, precisely on Jalan Pinang Perak, Jalan Pinang Emas. The house turned out to sell quickly. On the other hand, the plots were also invaded by buyers. He said that almost every weekend the Pondok Indah area, which is still in the form of plots, is visited by interested parties. Most interested people are people who have been rich for a long time, and new rich people who have emerged as a result of business activity.[1]

This area is served by many schools such as follows:

• Jakarta Intercultural School Pondok Indah Campus[2]
• Bakti Mulya 400
• Tirta Marta BPK Penabur
• Don Bosco
• Raffles Christian School
• SDI Harapan Ibu
• HighScope Indonesia, Pondok Indah

• Pondok Indah Hospital

The exterior (photographed in 2004) and the interior (photographed in 2021) of Pondok Indah Mall 1

Pondok Indah Mall (PIM) is located at the north side of Pondok Indah and becomes the largest and popular shopping mall in Jakarta. The mall is divided into four parts

• PIM 1 (opened in 1991)
• PIM 2 (opened in 2005)
• Street Gallery (opened in 2013)
• PIM 3 (opened in 2021)

Pondok Indah Mall is also directly connected with TransJakarta Corridor 8 on the Pondok Indah 2 BRT Station.

• Pondok Indah Golf Course – The golf venue of the 1983 Golf World Cup and the 2018 Asian Games.

• Pondok Indah Grand Mosque

• Embassy of Cuba[lower-alpha 1]

• Corridor (Lebak Bulus–Harmoni Sentral), with two BRT stations:
  • Pondok Indah 1
  • Pondok Indah 2

• Kopaja
  • S13 AC: Ragunan Belakang - Grogol (via Metro Pondok Indah - PIM - Arteri Pondok Indah)
  • B86: Lebak Bulus - Kota (via Metro Pondok Indah - PIM - Arteri Pondok Indah)
• MetroMini
  • S72: Blok M - Lebak Bulus (via Metro Pondok Indah - PIM)
  • S79: Blok M - Lebak Bulus (via Metro Pondok Indah - Terogong)
• Kowanbisata
  • T512: Pulo Gadung - Ciputat (via Metro Pondok Indah - PIM - Arteri Pondok Indah)
• Koantas Bima
  • P102: Tanah Abang - Ciputat (via Metro Pondok Indah - PIM)
• Mayasari Bakti
  • AC73: Kampung Rambutan - Ciledug (via Metro Pondok Indah - PIM - Arteri Pondok Indah)
• PPD
  • P21: Blok M - Ciputat (via Metro Pondok Indah - PIM - Lebak Bulus)

The platform of the Lebak Bulus Grab MRT station

• North–South Line of the Jakarta MRT, with one station:
  • Lebak Bulus Grab