Pramono, NYC Mayor Discuss Transit and Municipal Bonds

Jakarta Governor Pramono Anung held a bilateral meeting with New York City (NYC) Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani at Civic Hall, New York, Sunday (9/20).

Transjabodetabek is key to slashing traffic and uniting the region

The meeting centered on shared urban challenges: public transit, flood management, air quality, and municipal bonds.

Intrigued by Jakarta's traffic solutions, Mamdani dove into the city's public transit playbook. Pram pointed to Transjabodetabek as the game-changer for connecting Jakarta with its satellite cities—crucial for managing the four million daily rush-hour commuters.

Pramono Showcases Jakarta’s USD 7 B Investment Potential at U20 Summit

“Transjabodetabek is key to slashing traffic and uniting the region,” he expressed in a press statement, Monday (9/21).

Pramono also shared Jakarta’s free public transit initiative covering 15 key groups, such as senior citizens, persons with disabilities, and KJP/KJMU student cardholders.

On flood resilience, he outlined Jakarta's strategy: building robust infrastructure, reducing groundwater pumping to curb land subsidence, and advancing the Giant Sea Wall.

“Much like New York, flooding is one of Jakarta's most critical challenges. That's why we continue to strengthen our flood defenses, limit groundwater extraction to slow land subsidence, and advance the Giant Sea Wall project," he explained.

Also on the agenda was Jakarta’s plan to launch municipal bonds to finance urban infrastructure development.

Mamdani backed the idea and proposed a financial knowledge exchange, noting New York's success with bonds in funding public utilities and infrastructure.

“I fully support Jakarta’s plan for municipal bonds. We are eager to dispatch our financial experts to share insights on the issuance process with the Jakarta government," he added.

More than just an exchange of ideas, the bilateral talks are set to unlock tangible urban development partnerships between the two mega-cities.