Interest in Regional Development Studies, Master of Geography, Faculty of Geography UGM and supported by the Smart City, Village, and Region Study Group held the GEO-PW Webinar Series which is the second webinar of the IKN Regional Development Series Webinar, held on Saturday 20 August 2022 by raising the theme “Masterplan Smart City National Capital Strategic Area”. This webinar displays the expertise of lecturers from various disciplines, including those from the Department of Electrical Engineering and Information Technology, UGM Faculty of Engineering, namely Ir. Lukito Edi Nugroho, M.Sc., Ph.D. with the topic: “Utilization of ICT in Smart City in the IKN Area” and from the Department of Management and Public Policy, Faculty of Social and Political Sciences UGM namely Prof. Dr. Wahyudi Kumorotomo, MPP. with the topic: “Smart City Master Plan for the IKN Region: Several Notes on Strategic Public Policy”, as well as from the Department of Development Geography, Faculty of Geography UGM namely Dr. Rini Rachmawati S.Si., M.T. as well as being a moderator and also presenting material on the topic: “Review of Aspects of City Development and Smart City IKN”. The webinar was attended by 263 participants from various agencies such as ministries, institutions, local governments, lecturers, students and the general public.
The webinar was opened by Dr. Rini Rachmawati, S.Sc., M.T., as Head of Interest in Regional Development Studies, Master of Geography UGM and also as moderator. The opening ceremony was followed by remarks from the Dean of the Faculty of Geography UGM, namely Dr. Danang Sri Hadmoko, S.Si., M.Sc. who said that the theme related to the Smart City IKN Masterplan is very important and strategic, especially when viewed from various perspectives. The existence of this discussion also helps in providing studies related to IKN that are environmentally friendly, sustainable and inclusive so that it is hoped that at the end of the discussion session conclusions and various kinds of recommendations can be drawn.
The first speaker, namely Ir. Lukito Edi Nugroho, M.Sc., Ph.D., said that IKN is an area designed to be one of the pillars of technological development. IKN is also expected to be able to guarantee various services in society on a broad scale. The definition of Smart City consists of several keywords including sustainable economic growth and quality of life. Many lay people believe that realizing Smart City requires sophisticated technology. However, it is known that ICT does not stand at the forefront but permeates various development efforts in various sectors. The important thing in Smart City is how we can innovate in new ways that are more productive and efficient and can reach people with technology. There are also various kinds of technology products that can help solve problems in society, for example wireless technology that allows us to be connected to areas that are difficult to access or are located in remote areas such as deep forests. This wireless system can be in the form of Long Range (LoRa) which is a wide-spectrum modulation technique (spread spectrum modulation technique). Various forms of LoRa applications can be used for energy management, pollution control, early detection of disasters and so on. Fulfillment of various technologies in the IKN area can be carried out in stages along with the preparation of human resource capacity, bureaucracy and regulations to support sustainable development. Various forms of recommendations, especially those relating to the development of ICT in the IKN area, namely: a Smart City approach is needed (multi-sectoral innovation-based development supported by technology) that can be used to accelerate development in areas supporting IKN; as well as the IKN authority (as the manager of the IKN) needs to establish a joint communication forum with the local district/city governments in the vicinity.
Furthermore, Prof. Dr. Wahyudi Kumorotomo, MPP., explained that the main vision of the IKN development is to create a comfortable city to live in and enable its citizens to continue to be productive. However, in making it happen there are financial needs that need to be considered, especially investors from various parties. The largest proportion is PPP or what is known as the cooperation scheme between the government and business entities. The problems faced in other Smart City developments tend to be multi-sectoral or cross-regional in nature. Smart City development planning needs to use an integrative approach and a broader perspective. The Smart City Masterplan in the IKN area has a focus on a more holistic view of common issues faced by regencies in the IKN area. Judging from the experience of the last 50 years, there are more than 40 countries that are building new capitals, for example; Australia is building Canberra, Malaysia is building Putrajaya, China is building Beijing, and Myanmar is building Naypyidaw. Not all of them are successful. Therefore, patience, commitment and continuous evaluation are needed for development in the National Capital City (IKN).
The last speaker, namely Dr. Rini Rachmawati, S.Si., M.T., who discussed the review of development aspects in IKN. The plan to relocate the State Capital to East Kalimantan Province has an impact on the Regencies/Cities around the prospective capital city. The buffer zones for the National Capital in the preparation of the Smart City Masterplan consist of three districts, namely Paser Regency, Kutai Kartanegara Regency and North Penajam Paser Regency. Various forms of development are needed to support community needs, such as basic services. In addition, in developing IKN, it is also necessary to consider and increase the capacity of local community resources. Communities living in IKN are expected to be able to contribute and participate in IKN. The local government has also developed various programs to improve the quality of resources by increasing community capacity in the form of improving education. An important element of Smart City in preparing IKN in Indonesia is mainly related to smart governance. The concept of smart living and smart environment also needs to be considered from the start to create a comfortable, orderly and safe city. It is also important to design smart branding in relation to the face of the city.
At the end of each material presentation session by the speaker there is a discussion activity in the form of questions and answers. There were a total of 20 questions from webinar participants which were then answered in general by the speakers. In closing the event, Dr. Rini Rachamawati, S.Sc., M.T., said that after the GEO-PW Webinar Series the 2nd IKN Regional Development series was expected to be continued with the holding of the next webinar.