Sustaining City of Solo by Creative City and Networking

Abstract

The background of this paper is the phenomena that the urban spaces of Solo experienced rise and fall because of urban disasters, especially of urban social disaster. On the other hand, related to Agenda 21, now the cities of all around the world are being focus on sustainable city program. Based on these phenomena and its city program, Solo basically has an urban paradox conditions. Thus, Solo needs more many emergency actions rather than research activities and others. This paper describes the author's practical experience in an emergency action to sustain the city of Solo, conducted jointly by the ‘pentahelix’ team (5 stakeholders), namely: (1) government (Mayor, Bappeda, DTRK, BBWS, DPU); (2) NGO (Ngreksa Lepen, SCCN, YUF, SKK); (3) academics (UNS, UMS, ISI, ATMI); (4) professionals (artists, businessmen, architects, designers); and (5) media (Solopos, TATV, Joglosemar, RRI). These activities are basically to avoid the urban disaster, either of urban natural disaster (flood, pollution, landslides, pandemic), urban built disaster (fires, collapse, squatter, slum) or urban social disaster (riots, mass amuck, vigilantism, terrorism). According to the previous research’s finding, there are 9 factors of urban disaster in Solo, namely: (1) leadership crisis; (2) economic disparity; (3) cultural hypocrite; (4) invasion; (5) occupation; (6) expansion; (7) pollution; (8) exploitation; and (9) extinction. The most dangerous of all urban disasters in Solo is an urban social disaster, which is caused by the first factor until the third above. Now, this paper is trying to share how the stakeholders of Solo cover this problem in releasing those factors. To sustain the city, Solo is finally developed in the model of creative city, while to get stronger of this creative city program, Solo also creates a networking. Afterwards, Solo is developed to be a part of the UNESCO Creative Cities Network (UCCN). There are 15 sectors in developing creative city in Solo; while to create networking, there are 7 themes in UCCN. To get a high added value, the 15 sectors are always developed within eco-cultural concept, which means that the creative activities must always consider about ecology and Javanese culture. According to the advisor team of UNESCO, the best of UCCN’s thematic for Solo is design, and batik is the object of design. Accordingly, now and the coming future all of the stakeholders of Solo try hard to create a friendly environment and Javanese culture.