Stage for Popular Expression in Solo

Jl. Slamet Riyadi in Solo, is filled with enthusiastic locals every Sunday morning. People gather there to participate in various activities, including sports, dancing, playing music and setting up mobile libraries.

KOMPAS/ERWIN EDHI PRASETYA

Residents play table tennis during a car-free day on Jl. Slamet Riyadi, Solo, Central Java, in October (13/10/2019). Jl. Slamet Riyadi becomes a shared yard for residents in Solo on car-free days.

Wildan, 21, was sitting on the road with his beloved tiny and active Pomeranian. He was with a group of dog lovers who brought their pets along for a Sunday morning gathering. “In every car-free day event, dog owners gather here after a stroll. We share information on dog grooming and veterinarians,” he said in October (13/10/2019).

That morning, thousands were on Jl. Slamet Riyadi in Solo to enjoy the car-free day (CFD) event with various activities. The Solo city administration initiated the CFD event on the major street in 2010.

Despite only lasting for three hours, from 6 a.m. to 9 a.m., locals were highly enthusiastic on the stretch of road between Purwosari Station and the Gladak intersection. Near the group of dog lovers, there were people playing table tennis. The management of the Dana Hotel, located on the street, provided the tables.

“I almost never miss playing table tennis at the CFD. When I face challenging opponents, I am filled with adrenaline and ready to win,” said Didik Haryadi, 32, a Solo resident who was originally from Surabaya.

We wish to boost locals’ reading interest by setting up a library here.

Various communities filled the CFD event with routine activities. The Solo Street Library Community, for instance, displayed their collection of books to be read on the spot or borrowed. The library also had children’s magazines such as Bobo. Visitors were seen enjoying the reading materials while sitting down or squatting.

The community managed by youths brought 50 works of literature, politics, religion and culture that day. “We wish to boost locals’ reading interest by setting up a library here,” community member Aldo Brian Granada, 20, said.

On the 13-meter wide road, the members of the Spartarun parkour community performed various exciting moves. They ran, jumped and rolled around while contemporary music played. They performed with Polah Crew, a dance community of students from the Indonesian Arts Institute’s dance arts study program and SMKN 8 state vocational high school. They combined traditional and modern dance movements in their performance.

The performance, held in celebration of Spartarun’s 11th anniversary, attracted people’s attention. “It’s so cool to perform at this CFD event. We can entertain ourselves and others,” Polah Crew deputy head Dwi Mahendra, 22, said.

KOMPAS/ERWIN EDHI PRASETYA

A Batik Solo Trans bus drives along Jl. Slamet Riyadi, in Surakarta, Central Java, in July (27/7/2019).

Meanwhile, students of the Indonesian literature study program from Sebelas Maret University’s (UNS) Teaching and Education Science School used the CFD event to commemorate Language Month. They held a literature parade filled with poetry musicalizations, monologues and flashmobs.

Along the southern sidewalk, locals could shop or enjoy various local dishes, including pecel (vegetables with spicy coconut sauce, soto (aromatic soup), lontongopor (coconut milk stew with rice cakes), gudeg (jackfruit stew with coconut milk) and sausage on a stick. There were also clothes and toys.

Food seller Nuning Wahyuningsih, 50, of Mojosongo, Solo, said that her salted egg production went up many times over after she began selling at the CFD event.

UNS sociology lecturer Akhmad Ramdhon said that public spaces like the CFD gave wide access for local expression and this attracts Solo citizens with their communal nature to come. “This is a challenge for the city administration. In the future, urban public spaces will be facing privatization and commercialization,” he said.

Adding public spaces

Solo Mayor FX Hadi Rudyatmo said that the space for CFD was originally only 500 meters long, between Loji Gandrung and the Ngapeman intersection. Seeing the local enthusiasm, the space for CFD was expanded to 4.2 kilometers. The CFD has also boosted the local economy. “CFD serves as a public space as Solo has no city square,” he said.

Of Solo’s 44.4 square kilometer area, only 20 percent is open green space, including the Manahan Stadium, the Balekambang and Sriwedari parks and soccer fields in several subdistricts. The city administration is to gradually add more public spaces.

The high fence at the city hall’s front yard is gone. Now, the front yard is a favorite place for locals to relax and gather with family and friends.

The Solo city administration is also replacing the asphalt with andesite stone paving along Jl. Jenderal Sudirman between City Hall and Gladak. The stretch of road will be designed to be an open space for arts and cultural events. This is because the presence of public spaces would improve urban residents’ quality of life.