Depok, August 1st, 2023. UI GreenMetric announced the UI GreenCityMetric Ranking 2023 for sustainable cities and regencies in Indonesia. The announcement and awarding of this award was held on Tuesday (1/8), at the Convention Center in Universitas Indonesia (UI) Depok Campus. Of the 58 cities/regencies that participated in this ranking, 10 cities were named the Most Sustainable Cities in Indonesia and 3 districts were named the Most Sustainable Regencies in Indonesia.
The top ten most sustainable cities in Indonesia respectively are , (1) Kediri City, East Java (2) Surabaya City, East Java (3) Madiun City, East Java (4) Blitar City, East Java (5) Pariaman City, West Sumatra (6) Semarang City, Central Java (7) Banjarbaru City, South Kalimantan (8) Pasuruan City, East Java (9) Padang City, West Sumatra (10) Mojokerto City, East Java. The three Most Sustainable Regencies in Indonesia sequentially are (1) Wonogiri Regency, Central Java (2) Badung Regency, Bali (3) Sragen Regency, Central Java.
The ranking of the first cities/regencies in Indonesia is based on three pillars, namely Environment, Economy, and Socio-Culture. The weight of the indicators for the assessment covers several aspects, including Spatial Planning and Infrastructure (16%), Energy and Climate Change (19%), Waste Management (19%), Water Management (15%), Access and Mobility ( 16%), and Governance (15%).
Head of UI GreenMetric, Prof. Dr. Ir. Riri Fitri Sari, M.M., M.Sc., said that developments in the field of sustainability are not only important for educational institutions such as universities, but also for wider areas such as cities and regencies. Therefore, UI GreenMetric, as a university ranking in the field of sustainability, is innovating and adjusting indicators so that assessments related to sustainability can be carried out for cities/regencies in Indonesia through UI GreenCityMetric.
According to Prof. Riri, UI GreenCityMetric can be a platform to see sustainability issues in cities/regencies in Indonesia. It is hoped that these sustainability issues will begin to be considered by local and central governments. This year, UI GreenCityMetric was attended by 58 cities/regencies from 22 provinces in Indonesia. This indicates a wider participation in efforts to achieve sustainability.
“Through UI GreenCityMetric, UI hopes to provide awareness and understanding of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) issues among local governments and strengthen synergies between universities and local governments in achieving sustainable development at the local level,” said Prof. Riri who is also a Professor at the Faculty of Engineering Universitas Indonesia with expertise in information technology .
In addition to naming the most sustainable city/regency, UI GreenMetric also awarded the City of Jambi, Jambi as the City with the Best Improved Sustainability Performance; and the City of Medan, North Sumatra as the Best New Participant City in Sustainability Efforts.
Meanwhile, for each assessment indicator, several cities scored the best. They are Semarang City, Central Java as the most sustainable city in the field of spatial planning and infrastructure; Blitar City, East Java as the best city in the field of energy and climate change; Madiun City, East Java, the best in the field of waste management; Surabaya, East Java, the best city for its efforts in water management; The City of Kediri, East Java, has won achievements in the field of access and mobility; and the City of Surabaya, East Java, as the most sustainable city in the field of governance .
For the city/regency achievements, UI Vice Rector for Research and Innovation, drg. Nurtami, Ph.D., Sp,OF(K) appreciated cities/regencies in Indonesia which have played an active role in realizing their region as a sustainable area in accordance with UI GreenCityMetric criteria and indicators. According to her, universities have a strategic role in supporting cities/regencies to achieve sustainability. Universities can collaborate with local governments to design and implement educational programs aimed at increasing public awareness and understanding of SDGs issues.
“Higher education institutions can play a role in developing the capacity of human resources in cities/regencies by providing relevant training and education in dealing with sustainable social and economic changes. The link between universities and cities/districts in the field of sustainability can function as a synergy to achieve sustainable development at the local level,” said drg. Nurtami.
Director General of Regional Administration Development, Ministry of Home Affairs, Republic of Indonesia (RI), Dr. Safrizal ZA, M.Si., appreciated the performance of UI GreenMetric for conducting an assessment based on indicators that can be applied to cities/regencies in Indonesia. He hoped this could be developed to the level of ASEAN, Asia, and internationally.
“I congratulate the winners of the best rankings. The fifty-eight cities/regencies participating in this ranking are those who have performance and attention to data, because I know the data assessed by UI GreenMetric is very detailed. Therefore, I appreciate all the efforts that have been made by the regional head and their team. Hopefully, in the future, academics, central government, local government , and multilayers can work together to achieve common goals,” said Dr. Safrizal.
Regarding the implementation of UI GreenMetric, Head of the SDGs National Secretariat, Deputy for Maritime Affairs and Natural Resources, Ministry of National Development Planning/Bappenas RI, Dr. Vivi Yulaswati, M.Sc., considered that the efforts made by UI will add to Indonesia’s wealth in terms of SDGs data, especially in output aspects. The indicator level of the SDGs is at the outcome and output level.Therefore, what UI GreenMetric is doing will complement the measurement of the success in implementing SDGs in Indonesia. She said, “I hope through UI GreenCityMetric 2023, all cities/regencies in Indonesia will be inspired and motivated to build greener areas, be able to maintain a balance between the carrying capacity of natural resources and the carrying capacity of their environment, and continue to improve the quality of life of their people.”