URBAN PEOPLE

URBAN PEOPLE : The Survivor
(2 weeks after BBM price increase)

During this difficult time, everybody will hope that miracle will happen. For people like street children, children who live with crowded family and children that abandon by their father or parents, single women parents with children will pray and hope that God will help them.

- crying in the middle of the night and
- silent crying with empty stomach -

The pray,
- Please God and angel help us -

Urban Animal

Tmunyon was sick, before died

Urban Park and Animal Species

(in memorial my Imut (8 years), Munyon (1,5 years), Tweety (1 years), and Creamer (3,5 months) )

Almost more than two months I left this blog. There were manythings happened. I was sick for a long time, my cats died, and a hectic at my office and family. I feel the meaningfull friendship of my cat and suffer from a loss of them. During that time, I also learn the meaning of a hope, an adore, an hOnesty and truly love.

Not like in the others countries, I rarely saw in Indonesia that urban parks have animals, eventhough parks in universities. Parks having animals inside are Surapati Parks and Bogor State Palace. There are a lot of deers in Bogor park and birds at Surapati Park. But in Indonesia, you can see animal on street such as hen, cats, and dogs, specially in housing or community area. There are no regular controlling institution to protect people from the spreading of animal street disease.

Urban Parks in several cities abroad had been planned comprehensively along with other elements of urban functions. While in Indonesia, based on a new regulation of Spatial Planning No.26/2007, total green space required is 30 % of total urban area. Urban parks as green space area have several purposes,an aerobic in the morning and afternoon, family gathering, and relaxing. Urban parks is well-planned and spread in certain areas having many people surround such as schools, universities, and health facilities; not only near stores.
If you had ever been study abroad, you will experience the joyful playing with the animal in the park. Those animals can bring you a happiness, cheerfulness and feel relax as the time you feel lonely, sad, and stress or depress. You can also learn and observe the animal.

I was very grateful having a chance to feed squirrels or birds in the University of Pennsylvania park during my lunch or after I finished my examination. Research from abroad showed that people claimed to visit the park especially to watch animals as a leisure activity, bring their children or grandchildren and other purpose.


A research also show that people give an attention to the animal was elicited mainly by movement and sound, and less by color of animal. If visitor interested with the behaviour of the animal, they will seek further information about the animals from books or the internet. (Prof.Dr.Christoph Randler, University of Leipzig, Institute of Biology I, Didactics of Biology, Johannisallee 21-23, Germany).

What kind of animals that usually appears in urban parks? They are Fallow deer (Dama dama), Mouflon (Ovis ammon), Red Squirrel (Sciurus vulgaris), Great Spotted Woodpecker (Picoides major), Blackbird (Turdus merula), Great Tit (Parus major), Blue Tit ( Parus caeruleus), Marsh Tit (Parus palustris), Chaffinch (Fringilla coelebs) and Nuthatch (Sitta europaea). (derived from Bretzendorfer 1987, Randles, study was partly funded by University of Education, PH Ludwigsburg, Germany and from the Bundesministerium fur Bildung und Forschung Germany (JP C.R.).

Of course some of those animals aren’t usual in tropical countries like Indonesia. Probably, the animals living usually in Indonesian parks are birds, deers, monkeys, ducks, and swans.

Finally, the function of urban park is greater than we usually know. It’s not only enhance the quality of the cities to reduce the automobile or industry pollution, but also as a place for social events, relaxing, and learning. So, urban parks should be developed starting from the city spatial plan and should be supported and enhanced by media information for children visitors and managed for elderly visitors.

Urban Trees

Urban Trees
(Join the movement “Plant 1 million trees on your neighborhood”- launched by our first lady, Ibu Ani SBY”)
If you are traveling from one city to others, you will notice the different between one city and others. With the unique of welcoming entrance or street with green boulevard in the middle of it, you will impress. You will feel the difference and notice which city is manageable or unmanageable.

Recently, not many cities have a boulevard with good quality of street and trees along side the road. In our country, some old cities have boulevard, such as Malang and Bogor. Nowadays, not all new cities have boulevard. Some boulevards are built by developer and maintained by communities. On the other hand, trees along road have removed because road need widen.

Which area on your city has boulevard like this picture?
What do you feel if you walk through?

Trees are an important element of the city. Are there any places where you live without trees? Without trees, cities looks like a desert that you want to leave as soon as possible. Based on brochure “Urban Trees” from United States Department of Agriculture Southern Region, there are some benefits of trees:
1. Trees add beauty our city and improve personal health. Creating a relaxation and well-being.
2. Trees reduce air pollution, through absorb CO2 and other dangerous gases and, in turn, replenish the atmosphere with oxygen.

There are seven major pollutants and their primary sources:

(“Benefit of Urban Trees”, United States Department of Agriculture Southern Region, page 6)
Trees in the country like Indonesia actually are easy to plant. Water is abundant, soil are fertile. It is very different with desert country like Saudi Arabia. Trees in several cities are very well maintained. My tour guide in my pilgrimage journey mentioned that if you destroy the trees whether not on purpose, such as an accident, you must pay an expensive penalty (dam) even higher than the price of
used car.

So, why do not we plant trees in our small garden, our community area, our neighborhood and our road. You can see the benefit.

Do you have a dream that all road in your city looks like this?