Yogyakarta, 7 February 2025 – Dr. Sonia Roitman, an Associate Professor in Development Planning at the University of Queensland, recently visited Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM) to share her insights on Indonesian Planning in Southern Planning Context, especially her insight on urban inequalities and housing policies. The event brought together UGM students, Paguyuban Kalijawi, and ARKOM, sparking a lively discussion about the unique and complex challenges and opportunities in urban development, particularly in Indonesia.
SDGs 13
On March 7, 2025, the Doctoral Program of Architecture, DTAP FT UGM, held a Closed Examination for Doctoral Candidate Sri Sunarti with the dissertation titled “Owah Ora Malih, Malih Ora Owah, Malih: The Semiotic Meaning Behind Architectural Changes of the Pagelaran of the Yogyakarta Karaton in the 20th Century.”
As with previous royal palaces that have undergone changes, restorations, or renovations, the Pagelaran of the Yogyakarta Karaton also experienced significant transformations. While traditional environments of the Pagelaran are believed to remain unchanged, Sri Sultan Hamengkubuwana VIII made a series of changes in the 20th century that re-established noble values. Therefore, the researcher views the concept of “owah” and “malih” (both referring to change) as compelling phenomena worth studying.
As rapid urbanization continues to shape Southeast Asia, the need for sustainable water management becomes increasingly critical. Addressing this challenge, PolyUrbanWaters is a groundbreaking research and project network funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF). It brings together academic institutions, municipalities, government agencies, civil society, and private-sector stakeholders from Indonesia, Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, Vietnam, and Germany to develop a polycentric approach to urban water management.
Monday, February 10th marked the first day of the second semester of Academic Year 2024/2025 at the Department of Architecture and Planning, Faculty of Engineering, Universitas Gadjah Mada. To commence the new semester, the Architecture Study Program; in association with the Professional Architect Education Program, had successfully held a public lecture titled ‘Architecting the Future: Urban Innovation for SDGs’. The lecture was held in Room K1 – K2 and was attended on-campus by students from Bachelor, Master, Doctoral, and Professional Program and through an online platform by active students who were still undergoing their internship.
To welcome the new semester, study programs in the Department of Architecture and Planning held public lectures by inviting practitioners and academics from various backgrounds. This public lecture aims to be a forum for sharing the latest knowledge and experiences in architecture and planning. In addition, this event also prepares students to start their studies again.
On February 7, 2025, Urban and Regional Planning invited Dr. Sonia Roitman (Associate Professor, University of Queensland). Dr. Sonia gave a lecture titled “Indonesian Planning in Southern Planning Context”. The event took place in the 2nd Floor Meeting Room and was open to undergraduate to doctoral level URP students. In her lecture, Dr. Sonia explained the importance of inclusive and sustainable planning in the context of developing countries. This aligns with SDGs goal number 11, which is to create more inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable cities and settlements. And supports SDGs number 16, namely peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, providing access to justice for all, and building effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels.
On Monday, August 26, 2024, the KATGAMA Bamboo Hall in Padukuhan Talunombo, Sidomulyo Village, Pengasih District, Kulon Progo Regency was inaugurated by KATGAMA and FT UGM. The 9 x 9 meter hall was designed by Prof. Euginius Pradipto from the Department of Architecture and Planning UGM, the funding came from the Engineering Alumni Family of Universitas Gadjah Mada (KATGAMA). The construction of this hall lasted for 6 months, starting with the groundbreaking on February 18, 2024 by involving local residents and utilizing local materials.
Towards the end of 2023, DTAP students made another achievement through the Indonesia DfGE Design Competition 2023. The event was organized by IFC and EDGE together with 20 partner universities that are members of the Design for Greater Efficiency (DfGE) program engaged in green building. This national competition was attended by 53 participating teams which were then filtered into 10 winners with 5 main winners. Universitas Gadjah Mada itself sent 4 teams, all of which were DTAP students and mentored by Dr. Ir. Jatmika Adi Suryabrata, M.Sc., Dr.Eng. Nedyomukti Imam Syafii, S.T., M.Sc., and Dr.Eng. Agus Haryadi, S.T., M.Sc.


