Joint classes connect students in Leeds and Indonesia

Students explored the issues around Indonesia’s new capital city through local perspectives and historical examples of unsustainable cities.

Through joint online classes, students from the School of Geography and Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia (UPI) discussed sustainable cities with Professor Jon Lovett and Dr Annisa Joviani Astari. 

The lectures centred around Nusantara, Indonesia’s future capital city which is being built on the island of Kalimantan to replace Jakarta. 

Professor Lovett explained: “Jakarta is literally sinking due to subsidence resulting from groundwater abstraction. Combined with sea level rise and the threat of earthquakes, the Indonesian government took the bold step of relocating the country’s capital to a safer place with more space.” 

163 Indonesian students joined Leeds’s Undergraduate Discovery modules on sustainability, with Dr Astari and the head of the Geographic Information Science Study Program, Faculty of Social Science Education, Dr Lili Somantri. 

They offered insights and perspectives about Nusantara and Jakarta. 

Sustainable cities

Professor Lovett’s joint lecture was part of the GIS and Remote Sensing Analysis for Urban Study course. 

He focused on central place theory in sustainable cities and compared studies from the UK and Germany with examples of Indonesian cities.  

The class discussed the example Uruk, one of the oldest cities in ancient Mesopotamia, to speculate on why cities become unsustainable due to political issues, conflicts, overpopulation, and climate change.  

The Leeds students were given an assignment to prepare Terms of Reference for a Strategic Environmental Assessment for the new Indonesian capital. 

Professor Lovett said: “Using real-world examples for assignments, in formats the students could use in the future, is an excellent way of preparing students for career pathways. The collaboration with UPI enabled them to talk directly to Dr Astari and learn about the case study from the Indonesian perspective.” 

Dr Astari said: “The joint lecture was valuable in providing experience and interaction in an international classroom setting for UPI and Leeds students. 

“Both classes were very enthusiastic, as demonstrated by the numerous questions raised regarding the Sustainable Cities as well as Indonesia’s new capital city as a case study.” 

The Indonesian students wrote an article about the joint class. 

The joint classes were part of the UPI Adjunct Professor programme and the Leeds International Strategy Fund Indonesia Net Zero Network project.