Rhino is a winning youth initiative with focus on using creative placemaking strategies to transform under-utilised space into vibrant and inviting public places. Team Rhino consisting of four Bandung Institute of Technology students – Irfan Taufikurrahman Baskoro, Dheamyra Aysha Ihsanti, Donidarmawan Putra Gemilang, Kenjiro Amadeus Phan. We have recruited 30 volunteers among the students from Bandung Institute of Technology, with different majors.
Bandung is famous for its ‘creative city’ trademark and currently, 51% percent of the population is generation-Z. Malone (2012) highlights that youth has different values, understandings, needs, and culture – differences that should be supported and valued as significant contributions to the social capital of cities and towns. Bandung City has potential and several issues in order to be safe and sound for youth.
Bandung’s youth require more dedicated spaces to support their activities, as the city lacks sufficient options, yet the abundance of underutilised public spaces presents significant untapped potential to serve as valuable youth-oriented venues. Few of the many unique public spaces in Bandung are under Pasupati flyover – Taman Film and Bawet Futsal Field. Currently, most Bandung youth gather in private spaces, such as cafes and paid coworking spaces. We are addressing this concern by working towards creating accessible places for youth to exchange ideas and gather in Bandung city.
Image 1: An inactive abandoned public space in Bandung
Taman Film and Bawet Futsal Field, situated near various Bandung universities and enveloped by a lush green environment with ample fresh air, hold immense potential to become vibrant youth gathering spots. With the right attention and improvements addressing broken facilities, litter issues, and lighting concerns, these spaces can be transformed into thriving hubs for positive youth activities.
We at Team Rhino have a vision to develop Taman Film and Bawet Futsal Field to become safe, comfortable, and inclusive public spaces. The goal is to foster a strong sense of belonging and active community engagement. By cultivating stewardship and promoting sustainable practices, we aspire to create a public space where the community thrives and collectively takes responsibility for its care.
Image 2: Team Rhino brainstorming and mapping for placemaking activities
To reach that vision, we use the placemaking method, a concept that inspires people to collectively reimagine and reinvent public spaces as the heart of every community. Placemaking empowers us to forge stronger bonds between individuals and the spaces they share, fostering collaboration in shaping public realms that maximise communal benefits. Going beyond mere urban design, it nurtures innovative usage patterns, honouring the unique physical, cultural, and social characteristics that define a place and nurture its continuous growth.
We involve the community through questionnaires, group discussions, in-depth interviews, and personal communications. We also involve multiple stakeholders including Bandung city park department, city government, academician, private sectors, and local communities. Furthermore, we have been engaging with a diverse array of stakeholders, including the Bandung city park department, city government, academics, private sectors, and local communities, to ensure a collaborative effort in shaping the future of Taman Film and Bawet Futsal Field.
Embracing a comprehensive approach, our initiative encompasses both physical and non-physical changes. In addressing the physical state of Bawet Futsal Field, we prioritised reconstructing the field itself to restore its quality, which has been adversely affected by long periods of disuse, exacerbated by cars parking on the field during the pandemic. To enhance the experience for residents, particularly children, we also installed soccer goalposts and benches, creating a welcoming space for soccer practice and a variety of other engaging activities.
Image 3: Restructuring the field to allow for sports and other recreation activities
As for Taman Film, the physical changes mainly focus on adding and repairing the essential needs that are still absent in the park, such as trash bin, shoe rack, adequate lighting, and usable toilet. These improvements help park visitors to enhance their experience when they’re doing activities in the park. The installation of additional lighting also helps in increasing nighttime safety in the park, therefore leading to more activities and visitors during nighttime.
To drive non-physical changes, our team organised a diverse range of events to reactivate Taman Film and Bawet Futsal Field, catering to different target groups. At Taman Film, we facilitated an English teaching event with local youth community service organisations, engaging 84 participants, followed by a tutoring and sharing session between final year high school and university students, involving 59 participants. A group discussion session among student organisations drew 49 students.
Our flagship event, “Saujana Bandung”, named after its meaning of “as far as the eyes can see,” serves as a powerful message to safeguard the future of Bandung City through heightened sustainability awareness. This event was held on May 20th, 2023, and aimed to raise awareness about sustainability and educate youth on the significance of sustainable public spaces. Participants took part in various activities, including public transport and walking tours, talk shows with esteemed speakers, and community showcases.
Image 4: Glimpses from the public engagement event ‘Saujana’
Additionally, in collaboration with Kejar Mimpi Bandung, the team hosted a community fair on May 28th, 2023, featuring talk shows, community showcases, and an SME’s bazaar. At Bawet Futsal Field, we organised sports activities such as women’s aerobics and a sports week for residents, working closely with local youth organisations to plan and execute the program.
This approach is embraced to actively engage and empower the residents, ensuring their direct involvement and fostering a sense of ownership. Additionally, it serves as a platform for capacity building within the local youth organisations, equipping them with the necessary skills and resources to sustain and further develop these programs, ensuring their long-term continuity.
Learn more about the Rhino initiative here.