Jakarta's Playgrounds Are Becoming Unsafe in the Heat
At 10am on August 10, the temperature at Embung Jagakarsa open green space in South Jakarta had already reached 30 degrees Celsius. A young girl stepped onto the playground, felt the scorching surface underfoot, and retreated within a minute. A mother nearby called out to her toddler to put on a hat. The scene, reported by The Jakarta Post, captures a problem that urban planners and child health experts say is only going to get worse.
Many of Jakarta's outdoor playgrounds offer little or no shade, and that gap in design is becoming a genuine public health concern as the climate shifts.
The Numbers Behind the Heat
Indonesia's average temperature has risen by 0.28 degrees Celsius per decade over the past 50 years, according to the World Bank. For Jakarta specifically, the daily highs averaging around 32 degrees seen in July are three to five times more likely to occur because of climate change, based on analysis from Climate Central's Climate Shift Index. By 2050, the World Bank projects Jakarta will experience 300 or more days per year when maximum temperatures exceed 30 degrees.
The urban heat island effect compounds the problem. Roads and buildings absorb heat during the day and release it at night, meaning afternoon and evening visits to parks offer less relief than families might expect.
Why Children Are Especially Vulnerable
Children lose body fluids faster than adults and, unlike adults, lack the self-awareness to stop and rest when they overheat. Perry Sheffield, a paediatrician and professor at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York, and Sebastian Pfautsch, professor of urban management and planning at Western Sydney University, both flag these factors as serious risks. The combination of high temperature and humidity makes it harder for the body to shed heat, raising the danger of heat stress, heatstroke, and dehydration.
Material choices matter too. Plastic grass can reach close to 100 degrees Celsius in direct sun, and polished steel slides can cause second- and third-degree burns, Pfautsch notes.
A Case for Shade-First Design
Pfautsch argues that the standard approach to playground design needs to be reversed. Currently, shade is typically an afterthought added after equipment and surfacing decisions are made. His recommendation: shade should come first. Tim Gill, an independent scholar and consultant on childhood, frames the question simply: are these spaces comfortable enough for families to actually stay in?
Indonesia's Women's Empowerment and Child Protection Ministry has listed shade as one of 13 prerequisites for a child-friendly playground, and has encouraged mayors and regents to develop compliant spaces. Retno Wihanesta, urban resilience and knowledge management manager at WRI Indonesia, has called on the government to integrate heat-related risks into spatial planning and to develop a formal heat action plan, pointing to Ahmedabad, India, which has operated one since 2013.
Why It Matters for Hosts
Independent operators running family-oriented guesthouses, homestays, or short-stay accommodations near Jakarta's parks and green spaces have a practical opportunity here. Guests traveling with young children are actively choosing venues with shaded outdoor areas. If your property has a garden, courtyard, or outdoor seating area, investing in permanent shade structures, whether pergolas, sail shades, or mature tree planting, is a tangible selling point you can highlight directly to families. It also reduces the likelihood that guests will feel uncomfortable spending time outside, which affects overall satisfaction and reviews.
This post is published by Qontaktly. Details were first reported by The Jakarta Post, as republished by The Star.
First reported by thestar.com.my.