The Regional – CES National Workshop with the theme “Strengthening Urban-Rural Linkages for Localization of SDGs through Integrated Regional Planning and Collective Actions” in Conjunction with the 1st Integrated Urban-Rural Linkages International Conference 2023” was successfully held on May 10-11, 2023, in Depok City. The event was held by the Interdisciplinary Master Program of Urban and Regional Planning, Faculty of Engineering, Universitas Indonesia (PWK FTUI) with the support of Institute for Global Environmental Strategies (IGES) and Asia-Pacific Network for Global Change Research (APN) and the Local Government of Depok City. The workshop and conference were organized under the direction of Dr. -Ing. Ova Candra Dewi, S.T., M.Sc.—the Head of Interdisciplinary Master Study Program—and Dr. Phil. Hendricus Andy Simarmata, S.T., M.Si—the president of Indonesian Planner Association (IAP) and a lecturer at Universitas Indonesia. This workshop was in collaboration with the Ministry of National Development Planning/BAPPENAS and attended by various stakeholders, including local authorities, academia, private sectors, and civil society.
The opening session started with a spectacular Indonesian traditional dance performance by the students of State Owned Junior High School 1 (SMPN 1) Depok followed by welcoming remarks from the Chairman of the committee. Afterwards, the attendees sang Indonesian national anthem together, followed by more welcoming remarks by Vice Dean of the Faculty of Engineering Universitas Indonesia—Dr. Ir. Yanuar, M.Eng., M.S.c—Programme Director of Kansai Research Centre (KRC), IGES—Dr. Satoshi Kojima— Program Advisor of the APN Secretariat—Mr. Yukihiro Imanari—and APN National Focal Point for Indonesia—Dr. Henri Bastaman. The Mayor of Depok City—Dr. K. H. Mohammad Idris., M.A. —also shared his opening remarks and poem reading. The event was made more delightful and lively by beating gongs, marking the opening of Regional-CES National Workshop 2023.
The first day of the workshop featured distinguished keynote speakers who discussed critical issues about sustainable development goals. The President of IGES—Prof. Kazuhiko Takeuchi—presented a Regional Circulating and Ecological Sphere (Regional-CES) Concept for the Localization of Sustainable Development Goals. Meanwhile, Dr. Rachmat Kurniawan—the Environmental Development Pillar Manager, TPB/SDGs National Secretariat—on behalf of Dr. Vivi Yulaswati, M.Sc.—Deputy of Natural Resources and Maritime, National Development Planning Agency—talked about Urban and Rural Development in Indonesian SDGs. Lastly, Drs. Pelopor, M.Eng.Sc.—Director of National Spatial Planning—discussed strengthening Urban-Rural Linkages through spatial planning.
Prof. Kazuhiko Takeuchi—the President of IGES—expressed his appreciation for the successful implementation of the workshop and the strong support from all stakeholders. He stated, “This workshop is an important step towards promoting sustainable development by strengthening Urban-Rural Linkages. We hope this workshop’s outcomes and recommendations can be useful as a valuable reference for policy-makers and stakeholders in implementing sustainable development programs and initiatives.”
The Plenary Session highlighted Urban-Rural Linkages in the Metropolitan Region, with speakers from the Director of the Project Management Office Jakarta-Bogor-Tangerang-Bekasi-Puncak-Cianjur—Ir. Wisnubroto Sarosa, CES, M. Dev. Plg—the Head of Management Agency Cekungan Bandung Metropolitan Area—Ir. Tatang Rustandar Wiraatmadja, M.T.—and the Director of National Research and Innovation Agency, BRIN—Dr. Khairul Rizal. Each speaker discussed the implications and challenges of urban-rural development in their respective regions.
The two-day workshop aimed to provide a platform for exchanging knowledge and experiences, promoting collaboration and partnerships, and enhancing understanding of the importance of Urban-Rural Linkages in achieving sustainable development goals. The workshop featured distinguished keynote speakers and experts and parallel sessions on various topics related to the Urban-Rural Linkages, such as managing land resources, smart city regulations, nature-based solutions, and the role of urban-rural connection in the SDGs framework through the concept of Regional-CES.
The workshop was attended by 115 offline participants and 79 online participants on day 1 and 68 offline and 74 online participants on day 2. From various backgrounds, the event brought 276 participants in total including government officials, academics, researchers, practitioners, and civil society representatives. The participants actively engaged in the discussions, shared their experiences and knowledge and provided valuable insights and recommendations for policy-makers and stakeholders. During the gala dinner at The Depok City’s Hall, the Dean of Faculty of Engineering—Prof. Heri Hermansyah, S.T., M.Eng. IPU—mentioned that he is so delighted by such impactful collaborations and expresses strong support to the followed-up actions by the interdisciplinary master program PWK FTUI.
The discussions brought case studies from various Indonesian cities: Land Resources Management, with presentations from the Head of Planning Agency Depok City—Drs. Dadang Wihana, M.Si—Head of Planning Agency Bogor Regency—Ir. Suryanto Putra, M.Si—and Central Board of Association of Indonesian Real Estate Companies (DPP REI)—Ir. Hari Gani. After a day of insightful discussions, the workshop concluded with a field trip around Depok City: starting from Depok City Hall, moving to Paddy field in Tapos district, followed by alun-alun Depok and Old Depok Heritage Area. Participants had the chance to experience the city’s unique cultural heritage and natural landscapes.
As the conjunction of the seminar, the morning started with a talk with the speakers with aim to learn from local practices by exchanging experiences and knowledge on urban-rural linkages. This discussion brought several themes from four speakers: (1) Introduction of CES Asia initiative presented by Dr. Bijon Kumar Mitra—the Deputy Director for Integrated Sustainability Centre (ISC) of IGES; (2) Implementation of urban management with a smart city approach based on government regulation No. 59 of 2022 concerning urban area by Gensly, S.E., M.PA—Directorate of Regions, Cities, and State Boundaries Ministry of Home Affairs; (3) Urban-Rural Linkages at Watershed Scale by a WRI Indonesia researcher and a hydrologist research assistant—Dominika Wara Christiana; and (4) Smart Land Surveillance System by a researcher from UI Smart City—Helena Ratih Herdini.
The event was followed by FDGs, divided into 3 groups involving multi-background experts. During this session, participants from each group discussed and shared their experiences and insights on three different topics: planning for environment, climate change, and disaster; planning for socio-economic development; and mainstreaming urban-rural partnership for localization of SDGs. In parallel on the second day, 9 students’ paper were also presented. Both the workshop and conference resulted in recommendations and follow-up actions, including developing a roadmap for strengthening Urban-Rural Linkages in Indonesia, establishing a national network on Urban-Rural Linkages, and promoting knowledge-sharing and capacity-building initiatives. Overall, the Regional – CES National Workshop has been a success and a valuable contribution to promoting sustainable development by strengthening urban-rural linkages. The organizers expressed their gratitude to all participants, speakers, and stakeholders who have contributed to the event’s success and look forward to continuing the collaboration and partnership towards achieving sustainable development goals in Indonesia.
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Bureau of Public Communications
Faculty of Engineering, Universitas Indonesia