Padang is one of the oldest cities in the western coast of Sumatra and is the capital city of the province of West Sumatra. It is a medium‐sized coastal city with a dynamic urban system and on its way to becoming a metropolitan city. The city of Padang initially only covered an area of 33 km2 and was composed of three sub‐districts (Kecamatan Padang Barat, Padang Selatan and Padang Timur). After issuance of the Law Nr. 5 in the year 1979 (UU 5/1979) and Government Regulation Nr. 17 year 1980 (PP 17/1980), the area of the city was extended to 694.96 km2, composed of 11 sub‐districts and 193 villages (Kelurahan).
Since 2004, the number of villages in the city of Padang has become 104. The city has 833,562 inhabitants and an annual population growth rate of 1.57% (BPS Padang in Figures 2010). The western part of the city is a low‐lying coast with elevation between 0‐15 meters above the sea level directly facing the Indian Ocean. It has about 68 km long coastline (without counting the small islands), with the
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water authority covering 19 small islands. Of the 694.96 km2 total administrative area, only less than 10%
is constructed while the rest is used for agricultural, forestry and other non‐physical activities.
Nevertheless, the main employment sectors of the inhabitants remain trade and services.
The development of the city of Padang was shaped by political and economic activities originating from the area of the Muaro river delta during the colonial time as well as its geographical conditions that limit development in some areas like the hills of Padang. There are two previous studies that provide rich information and a systematic overview of the chronological development of the city of Padang from the 17th century up to the year 2003: Patches of Padang from Colombijn (1994) and Morphology of Padang from Zaidulfar (2002). The description in this sub‐chapter mostly refers to these studies.
Figure 3-3 Development stages of the city of Padang
DR. Eko Alvares, 2003
Source: Zaidulfar, 2002
The Figure 3‐3 from Zaidulfar (2002) shows how the city has developed from the point close to the river mouth (Muaro) towards the east and the north (Figure 3‐3). Prior to the 17th century, Padang city was referred to as a port town between cities in the western coast of Sumatra. Although the significance of Padang for the trading activities was not as high as the cities at the eastern coast of Sumatra along the Malacca Strait, it was located at a strategic meeting point with the coast between rivers which enabled the development of settlements and trading activities. Ports in West Sumatra were also among the entry points for gold from the mountains and pepper from the coastal strip. Colombijn (1994) also described Padang´s importance was also increased when the Dutch made Padang their headquarters on Sumatra´s west coast in 1666. Between 1667 and 1800, the city of Padang was a trading centre for the hinterland.
The trading activities were concentrated around the fortress of the Dutch trading union VOC, the indigenous market (Pasar Gadang), and the indigenous settlement around the mosque (Mesjid
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Gantiang). Around the 1800s, the colonial era by the Dutch Government began and intensified agricultural activities in the northern areas that extended the city activities there. Moreover, the land management was changed as in 1874 the West Sumatran government stated that it would dispose of all waste land that was without custom landownership (Minangkabau claims) and would let out land on long lease for a fixed rent The slowly growing European estates in the hinterland of Padang constituted an additional stimulus to the growth of the town. Until before the Second World War, the city was developing rapidly and it became a regional city centre. Coal mining activities in West Sumatra started in 1892 were supported by the construction of the network of railways from Padang to the hinterland as well as the construction of a new larger harbour in Teluk Bayur in the south. Additionally, a cement industry was also built in the east of Padang.
Zaidulfar (2002) indicated that the development of the city in the colonial time reached its highest point in 1938, as it was planned to become the capital of the island of Sumatra. This development was then stagnant and even decreasing during the independence wars and civil unrest due to communist uprisings during the period from 1942 to 1970. In this period, the road transportation network increased and replaced the railways. The planned city development started from 1970 onwards with the initial main functions of trade, administration and port, and extended the functions of government service centres in charge of education, health, regional transportation and industry, which triggered the ‘s development, at first more towards the east compared to the north. After the extension of the city from 33 km2 to 694.96 km2 (of which only about 180 km2 are potential constructed areas due to steep hills and natural preservation areas) in 1981, the city developed with the further concentric circulation from the old city centre and sub‐centres in the extended city area. However, the development in the extended city area was sporadic due to insufficient infrastructure, land prices, and the possibility of land clearing.
In the Spatial Plan (RTRW) 2004‐2013, which was later revised and replaced by Spatial Plan (RTRW) 2010‐
2030, the development was oriented following the previous plans, emphasizing the functions of the city as a centre of trade and service, industries, tourism, regional transportation, and education, as well as supporting development towards the city sub‐centres to decrease pressures in the city centre.
Looking at the historical development of the city, the population concentration in the coastal areas or coastal zone was linked to the activities along the coast which can be traced back historically. The main high exposure of the people to the coastal hazards is rather due to the economic activities which have been taking place mostly surrounding the old city centre. The existing literature did not specifically mention considerations about earthquake or tsunami hazards in the urban development planning. It seems that such concerns only emerged after the Indian Ocean Tsunami event in 2004. The last Spatial Plan 2004‐2013 was revised and replaced by the Spatial Plan for 2010‐2030, which takes into consideration overall disaster mitigation and particularly earthquake and tsunami hazards.
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