Dr Devisari Tunas explains how Bandung's smart city initiatives exclude residents in informal settlements. He proposes local data hubs in these kampung neighborhoods to gather community data, then integrate it with government data for more inclusive planning.
Bandung is the leading smart city in Indonesia. It has a visionary mayor, a good local technical capabilities and strong institutional support. It has also hundreds of applications and online platforms to support the process of e governance and community engagement. Not everybody, however, is connected to its smart systems, especially those who live in the urban informal settlements or the kampung. Kampung residents prefer to communicate their concerns and problems directly, face to face with a community leader, rather than fiddling with applications and online platforms. The question now is how the government makes sure that their planning decisions are inclusive enough. My research team and I and the city of Bandung, we are working on a solution. A solution that tacks on the existing systems while trying to revolutionize the way things are done. We propose to set up a data hub in the kampung that is more accessible for the residents. Then we combine this data source with the government data and consolidate it on an integrated data platform. This will help the city government to devise better informed planning decisions that are more inclusive. Bandung, then can be a smarter city and a more livable city for everyone.
Day 1 - Policy Innovation for Urban Transitions | Future Cities Symposium & Exhibition 2025
