Public Lecture: the importance of examining the development of new capital city beyond its administrative boundaries

Dr. Bosman Batubara, a researcher in human geography and spatial planning at Utrecht University, delivered a public lecture on “Rocks for Building Indonesia’s New Capital City: Extending the Operational Landscape through Four-Dimensional Urbanization” at Soegijapranata Catholic University on Tuesday, September 26, 2023. The lecture was open to the students of the Master Program in Environment and Urban Studies, Faculty of Environmental Science and Technology.

Dr. Batubara emphasized the importance of examining the development of the new capital city beyond its administrative boundaries. He used the example of rocks as crucial materials for new city construction, and elucidated how the establishment of IKN (Nusantara Capital City) signifies an extension of the operational landscape through a four-dimensional approach to urbanization.

The lecture was based on his ongoing research project “Following the Frontiers of the Forest City in Kalimantan, Indonesia”, which investigates the socio-environmental impacts of the capital city relocation. The lecture also sparked a lively discussion among the participants, who raised various questions and comments on the topic.