MENTAL-MAPPING URBAN IMAGE OF SEMARANG OLD CITY
IV. MENTAL-MAPPING THE URBAN-IMAGE OF SEMARANG OLD CITY
The authors have conducted a survey from 80 respondents, all of them are Architecture students, by collecting their answers from a questionnaire being set up previously, to understand the perception of respondents regarding their mental-mapping of Semarang Old City Area.
The reason of choosing students majoring in Architecture disciplines is to simplify the survey being held, since most of the Architecture students were highly aware of those five elements; paths, edges, districts, nodes, and landmarks. Another research is needed to strengthen the understanding of the phenomenon, by using another type of respondents, such as inhabitants, tourists, local people, etc.
The result of this specific respondents shows us, that the respondents actually recognize the five elements of an urban-image within the Semarang Old City Heritage Area.
a. Path
The result from questionnaires collected, shows that from all of the the existing road network, only a few lines are identified by respondents as a Path/ Paths in their cognition. Generally, those Paths/ Lines are common routes that traversed, when the respondent had to cross the Semarang Old City area, or when the respondent had to reach a certain goal in the Old City area.
Figure 1. Pathway Analysis of Semarang Old City area Source: Personal documentation, 2015
Main pathways in Semarang Old city area which is perceived as a Path/
Strip by respondents are:
1. Path of Jl. Empu Tantular - Jl. Tawang – Jl. Pengapon,
2. Path of Jl. Empu Tantular - Jl. Tawang-Jl.Cendrawasih – Jl. Letjen.
Suprapto,
3. Path of Jl.Empu Tantular – Jl. Merak – Jl. Cendrawasih – Jl. Letjen.
Suprapto,
4. Path of Bubakan – Jl. Cendrawasih – Jl. Letjen Suprapto.
The most dominant track which is perceived as a Path/ main line in the Semarang Old City area is Jl. Letjen.Suprapto. It is understandable, since most of the landmarks and important activities in the Old City are concentrated along this path.
This path is where the night activities still going until midnight, or almost twenty four hours. The potential benefit from this path could be an example of how to revitalized most of the paths which lacks of activities, during the day and especially during the night.
b. Node
The majority of the respondents were only recognize certain nodes of some nodes located in Semarang Old City Area, namely Node of Bridges Berok, Node of Tawang Area, Node of Jl. Letjen.Suprapto, Node of Bubakan, Node of Blenduk Church and Srigunting Open Space.
Figure 2. Nodes Analysis of Semarang Old City area Source : Personal documentation, 2015
There is one interesting thing that can be identified from the tendency of the node-recognition by the respondents. Of five nodes that are identified by the respondents, four of them is an area landmarks, which are Bridge of
Berok, Polder Tawang Station, Bubakan roundabout (traffic circle position is located at the outer edge of the old town area-southeast), and the Church Blenduk with its Srigunting Park.
There is one node that almost without landmarks around it, which is intersection between Letjen.Suprapto - Jl. Cendrawasih. More research is needed to determine further the correlation between the presences of the landmarks that define the observer’s perception node around landmarks.
Among those nodes, the Node of Polder Tawang and Node of Blenduk Church and Srigunting Park are the most recognized nodes. It can be concluded that the presence of Tawang Railway Station and Blenduk Church have significant effects toward those nodes.
c. Edge
Semarang Old City area, formerly is a fortress city with boundaries-fortress shape. The remains of the fortress boundary’s suspected edge is relatively easy to be recognized nowadays. The shape of the solid mass of the building, with a set-back to zero (almost without a set-back) from the edge of the road and drainage in front of it could be a strong indicator of the location of the edge of the fortress’ remains.
After the fort was dismantled, the mass of the building looks like a fortress- edge forms an imaginative fortress surrounds the Semarang Old City area.
The choosen location of NIS Semarang Tawang Station which considering the grid of the Old-City, makes the station Building (built years later after the dismantle of the fortress) became an integral part of the Old City area (Prabowo, 2002)
Figure 3. Edge Analysis of Semarang Old City area Source : Personal documentation, 2015
On the South side of the fortress, lies a river (Kali Semarang) which is become a transportation path from the sea at that time, as well as a moat fort on the south side. Building owned by state-owned companies- Rajawali Nusindo dominate the edge in southern part of the Old City area.
There are anomalous elements of Edge in South-East side of the Old City, which is in the region of Jurnatan/ Bubakan. Jurnatan region was the
central node land freight transport, particularly buses, rickshaws, carts, public transport, and Jurnatan Train Station.
After the tearing down of Jurnatan station area, this area changed into commerce and shopping area, with the opening of Jurnatan shopping complex. As a result, the face of a fort and colonial buildings had not seen again. It might be the cause that this area is no longer perceived by observers as the edge of Semarang Old City.
d. District
Naturally, the Semarang old city area has several grouping activities, which are Tourism and Cultural District, Offices District, and Warehousing district. The rest of the area is used for stores, settlement, and some of them are left empty.
Figure 4. District Analysis of Semarang Old City area Source : Personal documentation, 2015
Respondents are aware of the sense of each district, because those each
district has different activities and different type of buildings.
Further research is needed to collect data of land ownership. It might also the cause of missed-use on the land use that has been set by the Government of the city, through the regulation of Semarang No. 16 of 2003 on Building Management Plan and Environmental (RTBL) Old City area.
e. Landmark
The result of the questionnaire obtained through the identification of mental-mapping observer, which clearly states the 5 (five) objects perceived as Landmark / Landmarks.
Sequentially, the object which are mentioned: (1) The Church of Blenduk, (2) Tawang Station, (3) Polder Tawang, (4) Bridge Berok, and (5) Srigunting Park / Parade Plein.
Figure 5. Landmark Analysis of Semarang Old City area Source : Personal documentation, 2015
One thing that is interesting is the phenomenon of Polder Tawang, which newly built in the early 2000s. This area was once an open field, which is then converted into Polder (pool) as Flood control in the Old City area of Semarang Tawang Station and the entire Old City area.
Interestingly, Polder Tawang is then perceived by the observer and the respondents as one of the landmarks of the Old City of Semarang, defeating several historic buildings in the Old Town area as Marba Building and Building Insurance Jiwasraya, for example.
It shows that, with a proper treatment, an object that is not a genuine remains of the Netherlands Colonial era could be perceived as Landmarks in the area where surrounds by a lot of colonial buildings.
The same thing happened to park Srigunting which ranks fifth in the questionnaire that’s been distributed. In the past, the name is not known as Srigunting Park. In the area which is nowadays known as Srigunting park formerly a field next to a church that became a gathering place for residents of the city and venue for official ceremonies and celebrations citizens. It was well known as Parade Plein (Parade Square).
Further research and continued efforts is needed to create new landmark in the Semarang Old City area, neither is the revitalization of historic buildings, or new objects that can be processed nor adapted to become another landmark of the Semarang Old City area.