AN FTUI PROFESSOR, PROF. IR. ANTONY SIHOMBING, MPD., PH.D.: THE IMPORTANCE OF COMMUNAL WORK IN URBAN AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT
In his professorial inauguration speech this morning (Wednesday, 01/03) at Balai Sidang, UI Depok Campus, Prof. Ir. Antony Sihombing, MPD., Ph. D., conveyed a series of notes from his long journey in exploring two contrasting settlement forms, which are in urban and rural areas. Through discussing these two forms of settlement, he tries to examine the resilience of these settlements amid the progress of an increasingly modern and sophisticated city.
“During a long trip to visit several cities and villages, I saw enormous tourism potential, including tourism based on culture, nature, and traditional architecture. Another potential that will support the development and construction of all these potentials is a culture of gotong royong (communal work). The government or other related institutions also need to empower this communal work culture to develop their regions,” said Prof. Antony, a Professor of the Faculty of Engineering, Universitas Indonesia (FTUI).
In research conducted since 2000, Prof. Antony distinguishes the definitions of desa and kampung. According to him, desa is a traditional settlement that is not crowded, where the majority of the population works in the agricultural sector. Meanwhile, kampung is a traditional settlement that is densely populated, in the middle of a city (urban settlement) where the majority of the residents work in the informal sector, such as street vendors, cart sellers, gardeners, parking attendants, household assistants, cleaning services, and many more who do not have sedentary (odd jobs).
Prof. Antony further said that in various regions in Indonesia, especially small towns where the majority of its citizens work in the agricultural sector, the idea of gotong royong is more widely used in agricultural activities. For example, marsirimpa/marsiadapati/marsiurupan in the Batak tribe is almost the same as Ngayah (Bali), Baugingan or Baarian (South Kalimantan), Belale in Sambas, and Paleo in Krayan (East Kalimantan). Initially, the concept of gotong royong in rural areas was mostly carried out in terms of working together to cultivate rice fields and plantations. Later, gotong royong developed into communal works in other fields, such as building houses, building irrigation, building water sources, mitigating natural disasters, and other common needs.
In addition, communal work is the key to structuring and developing villages in disaster-prone areas, such as in the highlands, by the beach, by the lake, by the river, and so on. “One example is a village located at the foot of Mount Sumbing with an altitude of 1800 m above sea level, namely Dusun Butuh village or better known as Nepal van Java, Magelang district. All houses and other public facilities are built on very steep slopes. Each house is above or below the other house. Narrow paths that can only be passed by motorbikes also function as terraces for houses. This village was planned and built with local wisdom knowledge and community cooperation which has been passed down from generation to generation,” said Prof. Antony
The professor inauguration ceremony led by UI Rector Prof. Ari Kuncoro was broadcast virtually via Universitas Indonesia and UI Teve Youtube channels. The ceremony was also attended by Special Staff of the Presidential Staff Office, Ir. Arief Budhy Hardono; Deputy Mayor of Depok, Ir. Imam Budi Hartono, M.Si.; Scholarship Team Coordinator of Nuffic Nesso Indonesia, Ir. Indy Hardono, MBA; Chairman of Alumni Association of Universitas Indonesia (ILUNI UI) for the 2022–2025 period, Dr. Ir. Didit Hidayat A. Ratam, MBA .; Vice Chancellor IV for Research and Student Affairs at Telkom University Bandung, Dr. Ir. Rina Pudjiastuti, M.T .; and Head of the National Defense Education and Training Center of the Ministry of Defense, Brigadir Jenderal TNI Ketut Gede Wetan Pastia, S.E.
Prof. Antony successfully finished his undergraduate education at the Department of Architecture, the Faculty of Engineering UI, in 1984. Then he continued his master’s study in Planning and Design, the Faculty of Architecture, Planning, and Building (1997) and his doctoral studies in Urban Planning and Design, the Faculty of Architecture, Planning, and Building (2005) at the University of Melbourne, Australia.
Several of his scientific works in recent years include Houses With Permeable Walls, A Case Study from Kampong Kwitang, Central Jakarta, The International Journal of Design in Society (2022), Combinatory Spatial Strategies in Home-based Enterprises in Kampung Muka, North Jakarta, The International Journal of Architectonic, Spatial, and Environmental Design (2022), Accessibility and Permeability in Transit Areas. Case Study in Jakarta-Depok Train Station, EVERGREEN Joint Journal of Novel Carbon Resource Sciences & Green Asia Strategy (2022), Avoiding Jakarta: The Housing Preferences Trend of Low-income People in the Suburban Greater Jakarta Metropolitan Area, The International Journal of Design in Society (2002), and The Role of Millennial Urban Lifestyles in the Transformation of Kampung Cities in Indonesia, Environment and Urbanization ASIA (2020).
See more:
