As part of a joint commitment to create an inclusive city, Kota Kita, together with the City Government of Banjarmasin, is proud to share the results of three participatory pilot projects to improve urban mobility and accessibility for vulnerable groups, such as children and persons with disabilities, in the TUMI Inclusive Banjarmasin: Urban Mobility and Accessibility for All initiative.

Since 2019, the TUMI Inclusive Banjarmasin initiative has been working to raise public awareness of inclusive planning and build the community’s capacity to design and implement pilot programs in the capital city of South Kalimantan through a citizen-driven process. The initiative was part of Transformative Urban Mobility Initiative (TUMI) supported by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit GmbH (GIZ) and Asian Development Bank (ADB); and builds on a collaboration with various local partners including the City Government of Banjarmasin, Kaki Kota Banjarmasin, Urban+ Institute, Difabike, Lembaga Kajian Keislaman dan Kemasyarakatan (LK3), Universitas Sarjanawiyata Tamansiswa (UST) Yogyakarta, Wasaka team, Universitas Lambung Mangkurat, SMAN 2 Model Banjarmasin, SMK NU Banjarmasin, SDN Gadang 2 Banjarmasin, and SMPN 10 Banjarmasin. The initiative—which won the TUMI Global Urban Mobility Challenge 2019 award—implemented three participatory pilot projects focused on the Gadang sub-district in Banjarmasin city: safe and inclusive school zones, to establish tactical traffic management in an inclusive school zone; inclusive mobility as a new economy, to improve mobility; to build accessible three-wheeled rides that can be rolled out as new mobility services; and community-led waste management, to promote and encourage a community-led waste management system in the Gadang neighborhood.

On September 30, 2021, the TUMI Inclusive Banjarmasin initiative was formally officiated by the Mayor of Banjarmasin Ibnu Sina in a virtual launch event attended by local authorities, partners, and the media. The virtual launch event was also joined by GIZ Indonesia Country Director Martin Hansen, who delivered the Opening Remarks. Following a presentation of the site for the three pilot participatory programs in Gadang sub-district, Banjarmasin by Urban Inclusivity Program Manager Nina Asterina, attendees were invited to reflect on the importance of inclusive mobility in cities in a dialogue session with TUMI partners: Urban+ Institute’s Vallin Tsarina, Difabike’s Triyono, and Febpry Ghara Utama, Banjarmasin City Department of Transportation. A recorded version of the virtual event can be accessed on Kota Kita’s YouTube channel (link).

“The TUMI Inclusive Banjarmasin program has greatly supported Banjarmasin City’s effort to become a more inclusive city by encouraging meaningful participation of Banjarmasin citizens as well as other stakeholders in the city...Hopefully, the collaborative and participatory approaches can further guide us in building the City of Banjarmasin for the future.”

—Banjarmasin Mayor Ibnu Sina.

The TUMI Inclusive Banjarmasin initiative is a significant milestone in Kota Kita’s and Banjarmasin City Government’s long-standing collaboration to promote and implement more inclusive planning in cities. Kota Kita has been working with the City of Banjarmasin for nearly a decade, starting with The Firm Foundation, a participatory design process to improve living conditions for citizens living near riverbanks in 2011 - 2013. In 2018 - 2019, Kota Kita also partnered with the Banjarmasin City Government and the Network of Mayors for Inclusive Cities to reduce the city’s disability data gap, improve evidence-based governance, and support advocacy for inclusive cities in the Participatory Data Collection for Disability-Inclusive Banjarmasin. 

Following TUMI Inclusive Banjarmasin, a project that will continue in Banjarmasin is the AT2030 research program, a participatory action research conducted by Kota Kita, Global Disability Innovation Hub, University College London, Sierra Leone Urban Research Center, Kaki Kota Banjarmasin since 2019 to support persons with disabilities in accessing better life outcomes through increasing the relevance and uptake of assistive technologies. The research program also included a partnership with The MSc Social Development Practice (SDP), University College London (UCL) in a process of remote knowledge co-production through the Overseas Practice Engagement (OPE).

We at Kota Kita recognizes that urban inclusivity is not achieved by a single project; rather, it is a continuous process to acknowledge, involve, and even celebrate the needs and aspirations of all citizens, particularly those who are vulnerable and marginalized. As we celebrate the achievements of the TUMI Inclusive Banjarmasin, we are looking forward to continuing our mission with the City of Banjarmasin and other cities in Indonesia to build more inclusive, democratic, and equitable cities—a city for all.