Samarinda, August 21, 2024 – The Samarinda City Government (Pemkot) is further strengthening its commitment to enriching cultural diversity by initiating the revitalization of the Chinatown district in the city. This effort is realized through an event titled International Design Workshop and Expo with the theme "Revitalizing The Chinatown Samarinda." The event took place at the Inspectorate Building of the Samarinda City Government in East Kalimantan on Wednesday (August 21, 2024).

The event was opened by the Acting Secretary of Samarinda City, Marnabas, and was attended by the Assistant I of Government and People's Welfare of Samarinda City, Ridwan Tasa, as well as other key figures. Among them were the Vice Rector of Universitas Kristen Maranatha Bandung and Chairman of the Chinatown Samarinda Project, Krismanto Kusbiantoro, the Chinese community leader Helen, Samarinda DPRD Member Ahmad Vananza, and the head of the Samarinda City Government Cooperation Division, Idfi Septiani.

In his speech, Krismanto Kusbiantoro emphasized that the Chinatown revitalization project is not limited to physical development but also involves various community elements, including practitioners, designers, academics, researchers, and students. “This activity has been planned since last year. Several teams have conducted research for Chinatown Samarinda,” said Krismanto.

Institut Teknologi Kalimantan (ITK) is participating in this event through its Architecture Program, which is involved in the International Design Workshop and Exhibition. This activity is organized by the Samarinda City Government in collaboration with Universitas Kristen Maranatha and the Indonesian Architects Association (IAI) East Kalimantan. The workshop is held at the Inspectorate Building in Samarinda, while the Expo will take place on August 24-25, 2024, at Samarinda Central Plaza Mall.

From August 21-23, before the Expo, participating students, including those from ITK’s Architecture Program, are mentored by architecture experts from IAI East Kalimantan to collaborate on the design for the revitalization of Chinatown Samarinda. They are divided into five groups: four groups working on regional design proposals and one group dedicated to visual design. ITK Architecture students are divided into four groups (1-4) to directly participate in developing their design proposals, making a tangible contribution to this revitalization process.

The International Design Workshop and Expo invites participation from nine universities with architecture programs from various countries, including:

1. Universitas Kristen Maranatha Bandung
2. Hebei Normal University, China
3. Silpakorn University, Thailand
4. Universitas Mulawarman
5. Universitas 17 Agustus 1945 Samarinda
6. Universitas Nahdatul Ulama
7. Politeknik Negeri Samarinda
8. Universitas Balikpapan
9. Institut Teknologi Kalimantan

ITK’s participation in this event reaffirms its commitment to contributing to the development of the Chinatown area in Samarinda, while also strengthening its international and regional cooperation networks in architecture. By taking part in this activity, ITK demonstrates a significant contribution to supporting cultural diversity and sustainable development in East Kalimantan.

The Expo, to be held at Samarinda Central Plaza Mall this weekend, is expected to be a platform for exchanging ideas and creativity, as well as providing new insights for the community on the importance of revitalizing historic areas like Chinatown in Samarinda.