Forest City Consortium Holds Workshop on Sustainable Urbanization in Indonesia’s New Capital

The Forest City Research Consortium recently hosted a workshop titled “Sustainable and Inclusive Urbanization in IKN and Beyond” at Yogyakarta, bringing together cross-sector stakeholders committed to promoting sustainable, inclusive, and participatory development of Indonesia’s new capital city, Nusantara (IKN).

Gadjah Mada University’s Faculty of Geography led the collaboration with key partners including Utrecht University, IHE Delft, Royal Haskoning DHV, NWO, and local institutions such as Universitas Lambung Mangkurat and Institut Teknologi Kalimantan. Government agencies including the Peatland and Mangrove Restoration Agency (BRGM) and East Kalimantan Provincial Research and Innovation Agency (BRIDA) also participated, alongside 12 research assistants and students from UGM’s Faculty of Geography.

The workshop featured three main sessions: “Urbanization and Environmental Change in IKN and its surrounding,” “Urbanization and livelihood changes in IKN and beyond,” and “Urbanization and Flows of materials, financial and infrastructure in IKN and Beyond.” Speakers included Prof. dr. Kei Otsuki (Principal Investigator and Project Coordinator), Prof. dr. R. Rijanta (Indonesian Consortium Coordinator), and various Indonesian researchers who presented strategies, challenges, and opportunities for environmentally-friendly development oriented toward social justice.

The workshop outcomes are expected to provide strategic recommendations for future IKN research and development.