Metro, Lampung — Managing urban green open spaces in Metro City, Lampung, remains a major challenge, particularly in inter-agency coordination and public involvement. This finding was revealed in a recent study by Ari Gusnita, Bartoven Vivit Nurdin, and Dedy Hermawan from Universitas Lampung, published in 2026. The study highlights the growing importance of green spaces as both environmental infrastructure and public social spaces.
Metro City, the smallest city in Lampung Province, covers an area of 73.21 square kilometers. As urban settlements and economic activities continue to expand, the demand for green spaces is becoming increasingly urgent. Indonesian law requires every city to allocate at least 30 percent of its land for green open spaces, but Metro City has yet to meet this target.
The study found that the problem is not only limited land availability or budget constraints. The deeper issue lies in fragmented governance, where several government agencies handle green space management separately without strong institutional collaboration.
In practice, local communities are mostly involved only in implementation, such as tree planting or maintenance activities, while planning and policy decisions remain centralized within government institutions. This limited participation weakens the sense of ownership among citizens.
Using qualitative methods, the researchers conducted in-depth interviews, focus group discussions, field observations, and policy document analysis. Research sites included Metro City’s Bappeda office, Environmental Agency, local parliament, and community-driven green spaces such as Pasar Payungi and Pa’de Manis.
The findings reveal that many green spaces in Metro City are under-maintained not because citizens do not care, but because they are excluded from decision-making processes. According to Ari Gusnita and the research team, community participation remains largely passive and symbolic.
One of the most notable examples is Pasar Payungi, a community-led initiative that has survived for seven years without formal government support. It has become a successful model of community-based public space management by empowering local micro-businesses and strengthening social networks.
A similar case is Pa’de Manis, established in 2023 by local residents. Starting with 18 vendors, the initiative has grown through community donations and focuses on job creation and increasing household income. Both cases demonstrate that communities have strong capacity to sustain public spaces independently.
The study argues that formal bureaucracy alone is not enough. The city government needs to establish a permanent collaborative forum involving public agencies, communities, and private actors. It also recommends an integrated green space information system to improve coordination.
The implications are significant. Better collaborative governance could improve urban environmental quality, strengthen local economies, and increase public participation in sustainable city development.
For the researchers, Metro City provides evidence that sustainable urban green space management can emerge from grassroots initiatives. The challenge now is whether local governments are willing to formally recognize and support these community-driven efforts.
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