Public art in Taman Suropati as a medium in creating attractive and lively public space

Abstract

The city authority increasingly has interested in culturalsustainability as an aspect of sustainable development and emphasize thedesign of public urban spaces that host cultural and social interactions. Inregard to create sustainability of public space, it is necessary to use bothphysical and aesthetic elements of the park and art in public realm can be apowerful tool to reach people and play an active role in forming andpresenting local identity of cities. In this paper, a research in TamanSuropati, Menteng, Jakarta, is conducted as a case study of how public artin the city park generates interaction between visitors. As a historicallandmark of the city, Taman Suropati has its own appeal to the people ofJakarta. The park has provided a good sample of how urban space isactivated through public art and community activities. By analyzing therelation between spatial elements and social activities in Taman Suropati, we can learn about the importance of public art to support communityinteraction and help to create an attractive and lively urban environment. Thus, this paper aims to investigate the role of public art as a tool forenhancing the quality of urban space and making creative, lively urbanopen spaces to promote a more sustainable urban living and maintain thepublic realm of cities as an interaction space.