Babakan Siliwangi Bandung, the first "Public Park" in Indonesia

We will not hesitate when witnessing the beauty of Central Park New York, the most visited park in the United States, an average of visitors reached 25 million people per year.

Walking in the middle of this public park, feel the beauty of forests and many forest animals, really makes us feel like in a fairy tale, a large public park in Manhattan, New York City with an area of 3.41 km² with a length 4 km, width 800 m that becomes the lungs of the city.

New Yorkers are willing to share for a green open space, even on the sides there are tall buildings and densely populated (apartments, hotels and office buildings). They are willing and do not want to fool each other, not to take the land in cooperation with local governments to make the wide green open spaces.

Central Park has become one of the famous public parks in the world, because the park is often used as a film location and coverage on television, the park is currently managed by the Central Park Conservancy, nonprofit organization under contract with the city government of New York.

Inspiration may come from this situation, the city of Bandung in West Java, Indonesia since Sunday, September 18, 2011 at the initiative of the wider community, students work to clean trash from the region of Babakan Siliwangi forest area located in the center of Bandung, together with environmentalist organizations, Bandung Creative City Forum (BCCF).

This community event to meet the Tunza Indonesia, the Children and Youth Environment Conference 2011 which will be held during the four days since September 27, at Sasana Budaya Ganesha followed by 1000 youth from various countries including the presence of celebrity tennis world, Maria Sharapova and a famous soccer player, Samuel Eto'o.

Community initiative to make Babakan Siliwangi as urban forest with an area of 3.8 hectares on the recommendation of the Ministry of Environment of Indonesia to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).

Babakan Siliwangi as public park adjacent to the area of ITB sports, arts and culture, Sasana Budaya Ganesha, Bandung and the catchment areas for Cikapundung River which flows into the Citarum River with various species of birds, recorded 14 species of birds and three species of endemic primates, as well as 48 species rare trees.

If the New Yorkers could jointly maintain an urban forest public park that benefits its people, certainly so for the city which is known with its cool climate and unique culinary. Public park is the lungs of the world of good.

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(Source Kompas /Images C. Damayanti and S. Juang)