UNDIP, Semarang (1/7) – As part of collaboration of Universitas Diponegoro (UNDIP) within the international network of the Global Center of Spatial Methods for Urban Sustainability (SMUS – www.gcsmus.org), 2 lecturers, 3 masters students, and 1 doctoral student from the Department of Regional and Urban Planning —Faculty of Engineering, Universitas Diponegoro (DPWK FT UNDIP)—attended the SMUS Regional Asia Campus 2026 at Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok, Thailand. The event took place over one week, from May 12th–16th, 2026.
SMUS Campus Regional Asia is a series of activities that brings together academics, researchers, and students from universities in Asia that are part of the SMUS network namely Universitas Diponegoro (Indonesia), Chulalongkorn University (Thailand), and Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur (India)—to exchange knowledge, experiences, and innovative approaches to understanding urban and sustainability issues. The faculty members from UNDIP who attended included Prof. Dr.-Ing. Wiwandari Handayani and Novia Sari Ristianti, M.T., while the student participants included were Retno Sari Dewi, Ayu Aini, Khoirul Adib, and Arya Pradana.
The SMUS Asia Regional Campus 2026 invited participants to gain a deeper understanding of transdisciplinary approaches to addressing wicked urban problems, complex and multidimensional urban challenges. Throughout the event, participants engage in various activities, such as inter-university academic discussions, thematic lectures, and field visits to coastal areas affected by environmental change. This event focuses on understanding the concepts of “ec(h)otoning” and “thick edges,” which highlight the complex interconnections between the environment, social, and urban dynamics, particularly in the context of climate change and development.
In addition, the UNDIP team also had the opportunity to present an exhibition of research products from participants in the SMUS Campus Multidisciplinary Learning Series Undip 2025 which promotes interdisciplinary study and research on environmental changes in the Sayung Village, Demak Regency. This is part of the SMUS Science Communication Project 2025, which produced interactive media to communicate the dynamics of human-coastal environment interactions.
According to Prof. Dr.-Ing. Wiwandari Handayani, this event underscores that urban and environmental issues cannot be resolved through a single academic discipline alone. “Issues such as climate change, coastal degradation, and ecological inequality are complex problems that require a trans-disciplinary approach that integrates planning, social, environmental, and cultural perspectives to produce more comprehensive solutions,” she said.
The field visit to Ban Khun Samut Chin was a key component of this event, allowing participants to directly observe the impacts of coastal erosion, changes in local livelihoods, and how residents are adapting to an ever-changing environment. Interactions with local residents, village leaders, and religious figures provided deeper insights into how communities cope with ecological uncertainty while preserving their social and cultural identities.
Participation of DPWK FT UNDIP on SMUS Campus 2026 hopefully capable of strengthening international network as well as opening research & education collaboration opportunity in the future. This activity is also in line with the efforts to achieve Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), specifically SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Human Settlements), SDG 13 (Addressing Climate Change), and SDG 17 (Partnerships to Achieve the Goals). Going forward, UNDIP is expected to continue to enhance its contribution to the development of urban and regional planning science, as well as expand global collaboration to produce innovative solutions to increasingly complex urban challenges. (Public Communication/UNDIP/DPWK FT)
