UI names Semarang Indonesia's most sustainable city

Semarang, C Java (ANTARA) - Semarang City has topped the list of Indonesia's sustainable cities and districts in the University of Indonesia's (UI's) GreenCityMetric 2022, according to Semarang Mayor Hevearita Gunaryanti Rahayu.

The Head of Semarang's Regional Development Planning Agency (Bappeda), Budi Prakosa, representing Mayor Rahayu, received the award for the city at an event held at UI's Depok campus on Tuesday.

In a statement released on Wednesday, Rahayu expressed her gratitude because this was the second time Semarang, the capital of Central Java province, received the UI GreenCityMetric award.

"We are thankful for Semarang's success in gaining UI's appreciation for its spatial planning and infrastructure," she said, adding that last year, UI had also chosen Semarang as Indonesia's best sustainable city.

Despite being ranked as the most sustainable city in Indonesia, Semarang is still facing a number of challenges that need to be resolved amidst serious threats posed by El Nino, Rahayu added.

The Semarang city government is currently improving the city's infrastructure facilities in anticipation of floods during the rainy season and in response to El Nino-related threats, she informed.

"There are many things that need to be fixed, including tidal flooding and landslides," she added.

Rahayu said that the appreciation that Semarang received from UI will motivate all stakeholders in the city to implement all sustainable city programs.

As stated on its official website, the UI GreenCityMetric applies 6 performance indicators in ranking Indonesia's sustainable cities and districts.

The indicators comprise spatial planning and infrastructure (16 percent), climate change and energy (19 percent), waste management and disposal (19 percent), water management (15 percent), mobility and access (16 percent), and governance (15 percent).