Engagement Theatre or People-Centered? A Glimpse of Ibu Kota Nusantara’s Participatory Design to Smart City Planning

  • 13/08/2024
  • Category: Commentaries
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Author: Christophorus Ariobumi Praditya
Editor: M Perdana Karim

Upon the release of the grandiose blueprint for Ibu Kota Nusantara (IKN) Smart City, it becomes evident that numerous digital technologies are poised for integration within the urban framework. Telecommunication networks, data centers, and cybersecurity, as well as smart city supporting technologies like the Internet of Things (IoT), autonomous driving cars, and Urban Air Vehicles (UAV), are mentioned repeatedly throughout the blueprint – indicating the Indonesian government’s ambition to adopt the latest technology.1

However, people-centered participation is noticeably absent despite having inclusivity and smart citizens as the pillar of the smart city. Building a smart city isn’t only about how we can integrate various technologies into different parts of the city but it is rather more complex and layered. It also draws a conjunction between technological development, inclusion of human and social capital, as well as ecologically sustainable development.2 Unfortunately, the planning of smart cities frequently overlooks human and social capital in favor of prioritizing large-scale technological infrastructure deployment and procurement. This imbalance underscores the need for a more holistic approach that places equal emphasis on fostering community engagement, social equity, and sustainable urban development alongside technological innovation.

One of the people-centered approaches that are often used by urban planners is participatory design. Participatory design is a holistic design method that ensures the suitability of solutions for users in the design phase.3 In participatory design, the planning phase aims to involve as many stakeholders as possible affected by the smart city development through various means such as interviews, focus group discussions, accessibility and usability surveys, or sharing feedback post-testing phase. 

Oulu City Library, for instance, had implemented participatory design during its planning to reimagine their existing library and services into a virtual one using Virtual Reality (VR).4 Multiple stakeholders, ranging from researchers, city officials, library staff, and cross-generational library visitors, were involved in an iterative design workshop process to enhance and expand the library content to be more exciting and multi-sensory. 

Another form of participatory design can be taken from the Täsä application, which aims to increase participation in the urban development of the Finnish city of Turku. Through this application, Turku residents can submit their ideas, feedback, and concerns regarding urban planning issues directly to create more sustainable, inclusive, and responsive development outcomes for the city. 

Participatory Design in Ibu Kota Nusantara

In the planning phase of IKN, there are some instances where the Indonesian government has tried to increase citizen participation in the development of the city. Forum Millennial Nusantara (FMN) is a discussion established by the Indonesian government since 2023, which brings together youth organizations and government institutions in a dialogue regarding the development of IKN.5 However, this discussion took the form of a talk show that disseminated information about the new capital instead of a two-way dialogue on how citizens can participate in the development of IKN. Moreover, the topics covered in this discussion are highly focused on getting the support of the invited organizations and rationalizing the relocation of the Indonesian capital to IKN, which cannot be associated with participatory design in urban planning. 

Another example can be taken from the National Dialogue on Indonesian Capital Relocation, which invited the Ministry of National Development Planning, regional governments, and academia. However, this dialogue is more focused on the technicalities of the relocation of citizens to IKN rather than the urban planning of the IKN itself.6 Similar to the case of FMN, this dialogue greatly emphasized the rationale behind the relocation of the nation’s capital. 

One initiative that stood out the most was a participatory urban planning workshop that invited students, homemakers, small and medium-sized business owners, and government officials. Collaborating with Finland Futures Research Center, University of Turku, and UrbanistAI from Finland, this workshop aimed to introduce the concept of a “livable and lovable city” and gather community aspirations and expectations for urban planning, encouraging active stakeholder engagement.7 During the workshop, participants discussed community aspirations for IKN’s development, and environmental concerns and utilized UrbanistAI to visualize their ideas. This workshop can be seen as a correct way of participatory design as it involved citizens in imagining the space according to their needs using technological advancement as a method to design their city. 

Despite not being the central theme, there are some people-centered approaches to IKN smart cities outlined in the blueprint. For instance, Urban Citizen Living Lab aims to provide demonstration/showcase centers for technology, chemistry and pharmaceuticals, social sciences, and equipment and machinery centers to facilitate innovation and experimentation in an urban environment. Another initiative is establishing a Centralized Citizen Reporting System, a system where IKN residents could exchange information and feedback with the government.8

Towards an Inclusive Smart City: Is Participatory Design the Answer?

IKN represents the future of Indonesia, with a vision of over a million Indonesians becoming permanent residents by 2045.9 Central to this vision is placing people at the core of smart city development. This approach ensures that technology is not only cutting-edge but also accessible and inclusive, prioritizing usability over deploying advanced technology that might not benefit everyone.

As illustrated above, several initiatives have been implemented to increase public participation in the development of IKN. Yet, among these initiatives, only one can truly be classified as participatory design. The remaining two primarily adopt a top-down approach, aiming to inform the public about IKN rather than actively engaging them in decision-making. Unfortunately, this approach leads to superficial citizen participation, characterized by pseudo-participation. While stakeholders may be included in discussions or consultations, their input is frequently overlooked or inadequately integrated into the decision-making process. This undermines the genuine influence of stakeholders and hampers the effectiveness of efforts to foster meaningful public engagement in IKN’s development.

The road to participatory design in IKN smart city is still long and has many winding turns. As of now, past efforts have failed to place discussions on smart city development at the core of the conversation. With much of the digital infrastructure still concentrated in Java, bridging the digital divide emerges as a significant hurdle in fostering meaningful citizen participation. Moreover, participatory design demands unwavering dedication and trust to the government, extensive knowledge, flexibility, and commitment over time to be effective—qualities that may not align seamlessly with the comprehensive planning required for IKN’s development as a new city. Successful examples of participatory design, such as the Oulu Library and the Täsä app, were largely affected by its smaller scale and matured smart citizen , making comparisons with IKN’s nascent stages of development and bigger scale less comparable. In conclusion, participatory design holds the key to effectively planning public facilities enhanced by smart technology in IKN, focusing on benefiting a wide spectrum of people rather than the entire city’s development at once.

  1. Government of Indonesia. (2023). Cetak Biru Kota Pintar Nusantara. ↩︎
  2. Caragliu A., Del Bo Ch., Nijkamp P. (2011): Smart Cities in Europe. “Journal of Urban Technology”, Vol. 18, No. 2, pp. 65-82. ↩︎
  3. Jakonen, O. (2023). People-Centric and Inclusive Approach to Planning of Smart Cities. CSID Journal of Infrastructure Development, 6(1). https://doi.org/10.7454/jid.v6.i1.1087 ↩︎
  4. Pouke, M. Ylipulli, J., Minyaev, I., Pakanen, M., Alavesa, P., Alatalo, T., Ojala, T. (2018) Virtual Library – Blending Mirror and Fantasy Layers into a VR Interface for a Public Library. MUM ’18, Cairo, Egypt. ↩︎
  5. Sugeng. (2023). Deklarasi Forum Milenial Nusantara perkuat dukungan untuk IKN Nusantara, Media Indonesia, 15 April 2023. Available at: https://mediaindonesia.com/nusantara/574350/deklarasi-forum-milenial-nusantara-perkuat-dukungan-untuk-ikn-nusantara  (Accessed: 15 July 2024). ↩︎
  6. Kementerian Bappenas (2019). Dialog Nasional Pemindahan Ibu Kota Negara: Bappenas Diskusikan Kesiapan Kalimantan Selatan Untuk Menjadi Ibu Kota Baru, Kementerian Bappenas, 15 July 2019. Available at: https://www.bappenas.go.id/index.php/berita/dialog-nasional-pemindahan-ibu-kota-negara-bappenas-diskusikan-kesiapan-kalimantan-selatan-untuk-menjadi-ibu-kota-baru (Accessed 15 July 2024) ↩︎
  7. Humas Otorita Ibu Kota Nusantara. (2021). Otorita IKN Ajak Masyarakat Lokal Bahas Perencanaan Komunitas Kota Nusantara, IKN. Available at: https://www.ikn.go.id/otorita-ikn-ajak-masyarakat-lokal-bahas-perencanaan-komunitas-kota-nusantara  (Accessed: 15 July 2024). ↩︎
  8. Government of Indonesia. (2023). Cetak Biru Kota Pintar Nusantara. ↩︎
  9. CNN Indonesia. (2024). Jumlah Penduduk IKN Diprediksi 1,9 Juta pada 2045. CNN Indonesia, 18 Feb 2024.Available at: https://www.cnnindonesia.com/ekonomi/20240217205050-92-1064051/jumlah-penduduk-ikn-diprediksi-19-juta-pada-2045#:~:text=Kepala%20Otorita%20Ibu%20Kota%20Nusantara,1.911.000%20penduduk%20pada%202045. (Accessed: 20 July 2024). ↩︎