Urbanization in Indonesia has been growing rapidly, and is expected to accelerate in the future. It is envisaged that the urban population of the country will grow from 54.7% in 1995 to about 73% I the year 2020. The fast rate of urbanization and continued concentration have resulted in various problems of traffic congestion, overcrowding, shortage of affordable housing, environmental degradation, flash floods, waste disposal, stress-related diseases and the increase in demand for more and better urban services. This paper first introduces the concept of healthy cities and relates it to the aspect of physical development. After short overviews on the background of physical planning, the paper reviews the Indonesia physical planning system. The role of physical planning towards the achievement of sustainable development is then presented and this is allowed by a discussion on the role of physical planning towards the achievement of sustainable urban development in Indonesia, illustrated with a few examples of planning tools being used
