Prienta, a Double Degree student in the Master of Urban and Regional Planning (MPWK) program at Universitas Gadjah Mada, was selected as one of the delegates for the Youth Townhall Road to Y20 Indonesia 2025, held on August 2, 2025, at the Jakarta Library Hall, Taman Ismail Marzuki. This event is part of the Road to Y20 Summit series, which will take place in South Africa, and serves as an important forum to gather the voices of Indonesian youth before being brought to the global stage.

The Youth Townhall was initiated by Indonesian Youth Diplomacy (IYD), a non-profit youth organization in which Prienta is actively involved. IYD is the official body tasked with selecting and facilitating Indonesian youth participation in the Y20 Summit—the official Youth Engagement Group of the G20 Leaders Summit as well as serving as the Youth Focal Point for the G20 Sherpa of the Republic of Indonesia. Prienta’s motivation to join the event stemmed from its purpose: to capture the voices of young people through focused group discussions and consultation forums, which are then summarized into a communiqué and presented at the Y20 Summit in South Africa. “It is very clear that this activity literally and directly brings grassroots youth voices to the international level,” she remarked. read more

Cynthia Permata Dewi, a doctoral student in the Architecture Doctoral Program at the Department of Architecture and Planning, Faculty of Engineering, Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM), has achieved remarkable success by winning 2nd place in The Netherlands – Asia Pacific Student Short-Video Competition for Climate and Sustainable Development in Cities. This annual competition is organized by the Wubbo Ockels School for Energy and Climate, University of Groningen, Netherlands. It focuses on how cities can offer local solutions in response to climate change mitigation and adaptation issues, as well as other sustainable development goals. The competition encourages undergraduate, master’s, and doctoral students to transform their research into engaging short videos that can reach a wider public audience. read more

Yogyakarta – Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM) architecture students have once again achieved outstanding success at the national level by securing 1st Place in the Sayembara Perspektif 2025, themed “Safe Haven and Holistic Healing for Survivors: A Healing Environment Rehabilitation Center for Survivors of Sexual Violence.” Organized by Universitas Mataram, the competition focused on designing rehabilitation spaces for female survivors of sexual violence, emphasizing contextuality and natural materials. read more

Yogyakarta, May 12, 2025 – Another remarkable achievement has been made by a Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM) student on the international stage. A UGM architecture student has won an award in the Young Artist Prize Sakura Pigma Art Contest 2025, a global art competition held online. With the theme “Joy in My Studies,” the artwork reflects a personal journey toward higher education at UGM, presented in a captivating artistic style.

Using KOI Sakura watercolor and Micron Sakura pens, the artwork depicts a woman carrying an architect’s tube accompanied by a wooden dragon heading toward UGM’s campus. The background, portraying the road to UGM, is illustrated from a bird’s-eye perspective, creating a profound narrative and visual impact. This artwork not only showcases technical expertise in visual arts but also conveys themes of optimism and enthusiasm for pursuing education. read more

On January 24, 2025, the Doctoral Program in Architecture at the Department of Architecture and Planning, Faculty of Engineering, Universitas Gadjah Mada held a Closed Doctoral Defense for Ph.D. candidate Tri Endangsih. Her dissertation is titled “A Conceptual Design Model of Hybrid Housing in Transit-Oriented Development Area of Railway Stations (Case Study: Jatinegara Station).”

The urgency of this research lies in the importance of developing innovative urban spaces in high-density areas. A conceptual model of hybrid housing in such areas offers an alternative solution to improve the performance of mixed-use residential environments (residential, commercial, and public facilities) where diverse functions and resident strata can coexist. In the context of urban planning, hybridity connects people and activities across multiple high-mobility zones by emphasizing corridors and linking areas to form an integrated and complex urban space. This research aims to develop a conceptual model of hybrid housing in the development of the Jatinegara Station Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) area using the hybrid architecture approach to optimize the use of urban land. read more

The Beginning of the Journey: From Instagram to London
Tsania’s interest in IISMA began in 2021, at the start of her university years. A post she saw on a senior’s Instagram sparked her curiosity, prompting her to explore more through UGM’s OIA social media and various other sources. From the beginning, Tsania had always dreamed of joining a student exchange program. So, she began to seriously attend IISMA info sessions and prepare herself to apply in 2024.

That motivation didn’t come out of nowhere. Since high school, Tsania had been interested in student exchanges because she wanted to experience firsthand what education systems and cultures abroad were like. She believed that cross-cultural experiences would enrich her perspective, both personally and academically. Seeing IISMA as a golden opportunity, she committed herself wholeheartedly to the process. read more

Paris and Le Havre, France — From March 5 to 7, 2025, the international conference “The Rise of Asia” took place, commemorating the 70th anniversary of the 1955 Asian-African Conference and continuing the Bandung Spirit Movement. Day one was held in Paris, followed by sessions in Le Havre for the remaining two days, serving as a crucial forum for developing countries to collaborate on creating a more just, inclusive, and sustainable global future.

Since its launch in 2015, The Rise of Asia Conference has consistently emphasized solidarity, cooperation, and decolonization. This year, it reinforced its commitment to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as the foundation of global development initiatives. A key agenda was the establishment of the University of New Emerging Forces (UNEFO) in Koudougou, Burkina Faso, supporting SDG 4 (Quality Education), SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals), and SDGs 10 and 11 (Reducing Inequality and Building Sustainable Communities). Notably, a student from UGM’s Department of Architecture and Planning (DTAP), Bening Putri Kasandra, contributed to the library design team for UNEFO, incorporating Burkina Faso’s local values and embodying the Asia-Africa spirit. read more

The Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake in 1995 marked a turning point for Kobe City, transforming it into a center for expertise in safety management, particularly in disaster prevention and mitigation. Over the years, Kobe has become a hub for national and international organizations, institutions, researchers, and academics seeking to learn from the advanced safety management systems developed in response to the disaster.

As part of the Asian Cooperative Program (ACP), Kansai University of International Studies (KUISs) in Kobe, Japan, hosted an activity titled “The Japanese Safety Management and Japanese Culture.” This program ran from February 6 to 17, 2025, bringing together students from various ACP member universities, including Bramertha Salsabella Roseli (Mertha), a student from the Department of Architecture and Planning. The initiative aligns with several Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), such as quality education (SDG 4), innovation in infrastructure (SDG 9), and fostering global partnerships (SDG 17). read more

On February 19–20, 2025, Dewi Afiliyani (PWK UGM 2021) had the remarkable opportunity to be part of the expert team in the international accreditation process conducted by ASIIN (Accreditation Agency for Study Programmes in Engineering, Informatics, Natural Sciences and Mathematics) for the Undergraduate and Master’s Programs in Urban and Regional Planning (PWK) at Universitas Brawijaya.

During the assessment, Dewi Afiliyani actively participated in discussions and evaluations alongside the international assessor team, which included academics and professionals from both Germany and Indonesia. The assessment was carried out by experts from renowned institutions, including: read more

The Ecobreeze Team won 1st place in the Paper Competition SIGMA 2025, organized by the SEG & HAGI Student Chapter of Universitas Padjadjaran on February 22, 2025. The team consists of Ilkarizia Etro Candra Gabesya (KPJ 2023), Mulky Djati Sabila (KPJ 2023), and Zuhud Ahnaf Fauzi (PWK 2022).

In this competition, the Ecobreeze Team presented a scientific paper titled “ECOBREEZE: An Adaptive, Educational, and Constructive Spatial Technology Program Based on Land Surface Temperature for Reducing Air Conditioning in Urban Heat Islands as a Representation of SDGs 11 and 13 in Surabaya.” This research highlights the impact of Urban Heat Island (UHI) in urban areas and offers a Land Surface Temperature (LST)-based solution to reduce dependence on air conditioning (AC). Through this approach, their research supports the achievement of SDGs 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities) and SDGs 13 (Climate Action). read more