The Change of Form, Function, and Meaning of The City Open Space (Alun-Alun) in Traditional Cities of Java, Indonesia

Abstract

In traditional cities of Java, Indonesia, the city open space, known to the alun-alun, was an important element; it was the center of activity and a landmark of the city. This study aimed to understand the change of form, function, and meaning of the city open space in traditional cities of Java, with case study: alun-alun (city open space) of Demak, Yogyakarta, and Semarang. This study used methods by combining of historical, descriptive, and comparative, based on the relation of form-function-meaning in architecture. The results showed that the change of form, function, and meaning of the city open space in traditional cities of Java occurred with three circumstances. The city open space (alun-alun) in traditional cities of Java had changed as follows: (1) not significant, which happened in Yogyakarta city; (2) quite significant, which occurred in Demak city; and (3) significant, which occurred in Semarang city. This research is expected to contribute to global knowledge about the change of form, function, and meaning of the city open space in cities in the world associated with the planning and design of modern cities.