ANALYSING URBAN EQUITY PATTERN IN INDONESIAN PUBLIC SPACE
6.3. Urban Equity Comparison in the Indonesian Public Space
6.3.1. Indonesian Traditional Public Space
The conventional function of public space as a gathering space and social meeting for inhabitants (Gehl, 2010, p. 3) is still present in alun Yogyakarta. As the principal users in
Alun-101 alun, women, children, elderly persons, and persons with disabilities have the right to use, claim, appropriate, access, and control in their definite understanding. There is no formal regulation about their role in public space, but there is a durable local wisdom (unwritten rule) about them.
There are strong determining boards (Yogyakarta Palace and Yogyakarta Governments [provincial and municipal]) in maintaining Alun-alun Yogyakarta. Regarding spatial equity, there is no universal design for four groups of vulnerable people, because the facilities’ management must be aware of the norms and Alun-alun philosophy. Therefore, it creates a static and simple development.
Table 6.7. Measuring Urban Equity in Alun-alun Area Yogyakarta
Variables Explanation Unit Analysis (Vulnerable Group/Persons) Women Children Elderly PwDs Citizenship Opportunities (Individual Right in Public Space based on Time, Space, and Manner)
Right to Use There is freedom of action every day and everywhere in the Alun-aluns for social, cultural, economic,
and political reasons
● ● ● ●
Right to Appropriate
The layout of Alun-aluns as a large field supports different events and decorations; people can use by themselves or be supported by
providers
Right to Claim They have the right to claim their activities territorially with strong awareness since the owner of the
land is the Sultan.
Right to Control There is cultural control. To be polite and pay homage to the
Sultan is the norm here.
Right to Access External access must be supported by feeder transportation. Internal
access is physical, visual, and symbolic in nature
• • • •
Inclusive Public Policies
Equitable Rules There is local wisdom in placing four vulnerable groups
● ● ● ● Determinant Board Yogyakarta Palace and the city
government are the principal institutions
O O O O
Solid Institution There is a patron-client relationship. There is a solid management of the Palace, the
city government, NGOs, and community groups.
• • • •
Spatial Equity & Facilities Management
Universal Facilities As Eastern and Javanese people, users feel satisfied with today’s
designs and conditions
Different Access Management
The same level of Alun-aluns and the pavement shows that all users
are welcome
• • • •
● : High equity in public space
: Medium equity in public space
• : Low equity in public space O : No equity in public space Table by the author
The continuation of the past situation creates a romantic image, especially for the elderly and the residents of Yogyakarta. Not only that, they also really understand the Palace’s cosmology, which generates the static design--showing little change due to respect the local wisdom--here.
Javanese people love cultural activities as part of their ritual to conserve their ancestors’
heritage. Based on this condition, Yogyakarta Palace and the city government prefer to prioritise funding for annual activities rather than spatial improvement in the Alun-aluns. Regarding this situation, an underlying conflict and unclear territoriality can be found between the ritual activity space and the social space.
In fact, there is no spatial exclusion and marginalisation of the vulnerable groups in that space. They enjoy equal facilities, space, activities, and regulations, even if it is not fair for them.
Equality is insufficient to make the situation fairer, but, the Javanese people have no critical consciousness about this unfair condition. As Javanese people, they must care about the harmonious relationship, avoid conflict, and accept the condition (‘nrimo’) (Mulder, 1992). They choose to be ‘silent’ about the situation, feel it is ‘normal’. They are even satisfied and consider it a blessing because of their ‘historical imagination’ (Greig et al., 2003). In the past and today, Alun-alun has been in the same condition; so, there is no problem with that. The users have their own perception of urban equity, especially because the users are dominated by people or residents who have loyalty to the Palace.
Alun-alun offers freedom of action to actual users—all caring together for the rights of persons and minorities—which is a reason why Alun-alun is converted into a meaningful place and generates sharp historical imagination for its users. This points out the social success of public space, which may well articulate the cultural values of freedom and democracy (Carr et al., 1992, p. 365). Fainstein as cited in Marcuse (2009, pp. 19–26) states that the consciousness about democracy and difference is one of the values of a city model. Hence, the consciousness of the Alun-alun authorities (Sultan and Yogyakarta City government) of users’ rights generates users’
consciousness about the historical meaning.
The users support each other to create a successful social space here. It is parallel to Gehl’s statement, ‘we shape the cities (public spaces) and then they shape us’ (Gehl, 2010). There is entirely a new challenge for stakeholders to keep enduring Alun-alun because in future, loyalty users, such as abdi dalem (servants or courtiers, who are dominated by the elderly—50% are
103 above 60 years old) will be replaced by a different generation who have a different orientation.
Therefore, the government and the Palace must be concerned.
Figure 6.26. Urban Equity in Alun-alun Yogyakarta Diagram by the author
They have rights to use, claim, appropriate,
access, and control (Carr
et al., 1992)
There is no specific formal regulation, but there is a
strong local wisdom (unwritten regulation) about
them. There are strong determinant boards (Yogyakarta Palace and city
government). (Forbes in Gottdiener & Hutchinson, 2006; Carmona et al., 2013;
WUF, 2015)
There is a static design of public space since the people must be aware of the norms and Alun-alun philosophy. There is a slow
but straightforward development. Funding is prioritized for annual activities
rather than physical development.
There is a conflict/unclear territoriality between a ritual
space and social space.
Women, Children, Elderly Persons, and Persons with Disabilities are the principal users in ‘Alun-alun’ Yogyakarta
There is no spatial exclusion/marginalization in that space for the vulnerable groups. It has equal facilities, space, activities,
and regulation, but it is not fair for the groups. Equality is insufficient to make the situation fairer.
There is no critical consciousness about the unfair condition based on
Western standards.
They are ‘satisfied’ with the situation, due to ‘historical imagination’ and
‘consciousness with the Javanese Value’
It is a challenge for the government and the community to keep
‘enduring Alun-alun’ related to the consciousness with equity standard
in public space since there will be shifting users in Alun-alun in future.
Loyal persons, such as the abdi dalem (courtiers, who are dominated by elderly—50% above 60 years old) will be replaced by a different generation of people who
have a different orientation.
COLLECTIVE CULTURAL MEANING OF EQUITY
Users’ and residents’ composition in Alun-alun are dominated by people
who are loyal to the Palace.
Urban Equity in public space is deeply intertwined with the beliefs, traditions, experience, political view, and what is generally understood as the culture of a particular society.
Varna (Assessing Publicness in Public Space, 2011)
Although the urban equity pattern in Alun-alun may be at risk in the near future, according to this research, there is no dilemma in the actual situation. It is appropriate with the Varna statement on Assessing the Publicness of Public Space: Toward a New Model (2011, p. 6): ‘Public space is deeply intertwined with the beliefs, traditions, experience, political view and what is generally understood as the culture of a particular society.’