BANDUNG, May 7 – A group of five undergraduate and one postgraduate Landscape Architecture students from the Faculty of Built Environment and Surveying (FABU), Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM), recently participated in a dynamic international joint studio hosted by Institut Teknologi Bandung (ITB), Indonesia. The program, held from 5 to 7 May 2025, was supervised and coordinated by Dr. Siti Nur Hannah Ismail, Senior Lecturer in Landscape Architecture at FABU.
The joint studio focused on landscape planning for a peri-urban site in Lembang, West Java, offering students a real-world platform to explore design strategies that balance environmental sustainability with tourism development. The workshop included field excursions to Tangkuban Perahu—a well-known stratovolcano and popular tourist attraction—and Desa Cikole, a highland village in Lembang. These site visits allowed students to conduct comprehensive surveys and contextual analyses, helping them understand the landscape’s ecological features, tourism trends, and socio-environmental challenges.
Following the fieldwork, students were grouped into collaborative teams comprising members from both UTM and ITB. Each team was tasked with developing landscape planning proposals centered around two key themes: Mass Tourism and Eco-Tourism. The exercise challenged participants to think critically about tourism’s long-term effects and propose site-sensitive, inclusive, and resilient development strategies.
Among the proposed solutions were integrated trail systems, visitor management frameworks, eco-friendly infrastructure, and conservation-based tourism zoning. Students considered local community perspectives, biodiversity preservation, and economic viability in their designs. Their proposals demonstrated a multidisciplinary understanding of landscape planning that addresses both ecological resilience and social inclusivity.
The final proposals were presented to representatives from Perhutani—Indonesia’s state-owned enterprise responsible for managing forest resources in Java and Madura. Perhutani plays a crucial role in forest conservation and the development of nature-based tourism. During the presentations, students received constructive feedback from Perhutani’s planning and conservation specialists, gaining valuable insights into policy limitations, implementation barriers, and stakeholder engagement processes.
In addition to academic enrichment, the studio fostered cultural exchange and cross-border collaboration between Malaysian and Indonesian institutions. Participants engaged in discussions not only about design but also about regional planning policies, climate adaptation, and community involvement in conservation efforts.
The joint studio exemplifies the growing importance of international collaboration in higher education, especially in addressing complex regional challenges such as sustainable tourism and land use management. By working together across borders, students from UTM and ITB were able to broaden their perspectives, refine their design capabilities, and strengthen their commitment to shaping sustainable, resilient landscapes for future generations. This enriching experience underscores the role of landscape architects as critical thinkers and problem-solvers in a rapidly changing world.