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The map also shows situ (lakes) that have since vanished—small ponds in places like Pulo Mas and Rawamangun that were filled in to build housing complexes. The Ciliwung River is drawn with a thick, prominent blue line; today, it's hidden behind concrete walls and slums. Look at the legend. In 1980, the Becak (pedicab) was still a legal, respected form of transport. The map doesn't show the MRT (obviously), nor the TransJakarta busway. The primary arteries were Jalan Thamrin , Jalan Sudirman (which ended abruptly at a railway crossing near Senayan), and Jalan Gatot Subroto .
Here is what the Peta Jakarta 1980 tells us about a city that no longer exists. Open the map and look at the southern corridor. Today, Pondok Indah is a forest of luxury high-rises. But in 1980? It was largely sawah (rice paddies) and kebun (plantations). The map shows Kebayoran Baru as the southern frontier—an elite suburb of low-rise villas and wide streets, but beyond that (where Cilandak and Lebak Bulus are now), the map is mostly blank green spaces.
The Becak and the Oplet (the ancient shared taxi) ruled the roads. The map's scale feels much larger because the roads were slower. You didn't commute from Bogor to Sudirman every day; you moved within the city. On the northern edge of the map, near the Kota railway station (Batavia), the grid is chaotic and European. The map shows the old canal system of Kota Tua still largely intact. Toko Merah (The Red Shop) and Glodok (Chinatown) are labeled clearly.
