Abstract
Essentially, alun-alun (literally means “City Square”) cannot be separated from cultural, spatial, and imaginary links between its traditional concept and the Keraton (Palace) Complex. The concept of alun-alun has a rich history. It is a symbol of authority and inseparable from the government. The contemporary alun-alun cannot be interpreted similarly to the concept from the past because government system and culture have changed. Alun-alun, usually located near government complex, is aligned with its past concepts and beliefs. However, it is not imbued necessarily with contemporary meaning of symbols. Conflict of interest may rise when urban development strengthens or weakens the spatial relationships of alun-alun and government complex. It is interesting to see whether the contemporary understanding of a city’s identity is still related closely to alun-alun as a symbol of authority. The transformation of alun-alun as a symbol of authority into an open-spaced city center can be analyzed by observing the physical elements of the environment and the territorial rules specified in the configuration of its physical elements. This is followed by the identification of any additional transformation or adaptation. The interpretation stage is performed by considering spatial and imaginary relationship of alun-alun and government complex. The results indicate that, culturally, alun-alun and government complex still have a strong spatial relationship. Physically, alun-alun survives as an open space but it is no longer a symbol of authority.
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Acknowledgements
We thank the research institutes and community service of the Parahyangan Catholic University (LPPM-UNPAR) that provided funding for the participation in the conference. We also thank the Graduate Program of the Parahyangan Catholic University. The content of the paper is a part of the research of Aramita L. M., Ayesha. The Cultural Relationship of Alun-Alun and Government Complex in Java Today. It is a thesis submitted for the degree of master of architecture in the Parahyangan Catholic University, 2017. Last, we also thank IEREK who have chosen this topic to be viewed at the international level.
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Appendix
Appendix
Examples of the use of theory in a case: alun-alun of Wonosari (Table 11).
The position of the government complex, namely the office of the Regent of Gunungkidul (Wonosari), is in the north of the square and is in an axis with the square. This is reinforced by the laying of furniture and processing of physical forms such as two banyan trees flanking the U-S centerline, flagpoles, and soil hardening on the north side, which face the regent’s office and the gates on the north and south sides. Four streets surround the alun-alun of Wonosari. The south side is the primary arterial road with the highest hierarchy of roads from other roads that surround the alun-alun. The road on the north side is the space between the alun-alun and the government complex. It is within the boundary of the government complex (Table 12).
It can be concluded that alun-alun and the government complex do not have intermediate space. In fact, they stick together. This strengthens alun-alun as a part of government complex. Overall, the relationship between alun-alun and government complex is a space sticking together and bound by an axis.
The primary arterial road located on the south side of the square and a row of trees on the west and east sides of the square strengthen alun-alun as a part of the territory of the government complex. The square looks separated from the scoping space on the east, west, and south, while the north side is attached to the government complex. Based on the hierarchy, alun-alun and government complex are connected. The current relationship between the square and the government complex of Wonosari is almost similar to the concept of the past, which is physically and symbolically still interrelated (Tables 13 and 14).
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Kusliansjah, Y.K., Malonda, A.A. (2020). Cultural Relations of the Alun-Alun Space and the Government Complex in Contemporary Java. In: Bougdah, H., Versaci, A., Sotoca, A., Trapani, F., Migliore, M., Clark, N. (eds) Urban and Transit Planning. Advances in Science, Technology & Innovation. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-17308-1_36
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