Coloring our Society with enjoyable and meaningful moments

Andy Simarmata is a certified spatial planner based in Jakarta and has more than 22 years of experience in planning, research, lecturing, and consultancy for various international organizations and government agencies. He is frequently invited as a speaker for various international and national events and has written about ten papers and book chapters in international journals. With full support from planners’ associations in Southeast Asian countries, he has initiated the Southeast Asian Forum of Planners.

From his first attendance at Bodø Congress and following to being the local host for the 55th World Congress in Jakarta-Bogor, he has actively participated in ISOCARP events. This year, it is his second period to serve as a scientific committee member. He recognizes that managing time and working with other committees in different time zones takes tremendous effort. However, he believes that Society needs to closely engage members around the globe because they are the heart of the organization and need it as a home to grow.

What the organization did during the pandemic through virtual meetings was excellent; our members could still have experienced many events. The organization is recovering now and can do more in the post-COVID era. Therefore, if he becomes a board member, he wants to create more enjoyable professional sharing moments and hear from our members what meaningful moments are for them.

First, he recommends a regular regional conference that serves members in the region. It will attract more participants due to shorter travel distances and possibly related to their working area. The World Congress later becomes a clearing house that addresses the results from regional conferences.

The second is to reach out to more young planners to be more actively involved in the region. The program should be adjusted to what they need and make them happy. Placing them into mentorships, preparing a joint committee, and providing a stock of practical knowledge will be the advantages for the youth to develop their competence. The knowledge platform combined with social media should be more attractive and practical to invite more people to come.

The third one is to document the most influential works of the senior planners above 60 years. The features vary from photos, papers, etc. The documentation will make them enjoy and feel respected by Society. Moreover, it will be a good reference for the members.

Those ideas are just examples to improve the missing ones from the Society from Andy’s five years of experience in ISOCARP. Becoming a part of the Board of Directors is an excellent opportunity to make the Society more joyful and meaningful.