Jakarta is growing fast such that the development on the Northern part of the City has been done by reclaiming the coastal area in an expeditious manner. The reclamation projects for housing, recreation area, ports, etc., are subject to settlement of the marine soft clay, sea level rise and land subsidence. Sea level rises is due to global warming and has a minor impact compared to land subsidence. Land subsidence is caused by significant changes of land uses because of urbanization and excessive extractions of ground water. The rapid growth of population in Jakarta has forced an excessive extraction of ground water. As a result, part of the coastal area in North Jakarta is flooded during the high tide. This paper provides lessons learned from the land subsidence problems at Pantai Mutiara, Pantai Indah Kapuk, Jakarta Fishing Port and Tanjung Priok Port. Several design key parameters used for coastal structures are highlighted, i.e. elevation of coastal structures and type of coastal structures.