Semarang, Wednesday, February 11, 2026 – The Semarang City Regional House of Representatives (DPRD) held an Interactive Dialogue themed “Increasing Community Participation in Building Semarang City” at the Multimedia Laboratory, FISIP UNDIP, Tembalang Campus, on Wednesday (11/2/2026). This activity served as a meeting point between the legislature, regional government, and academics to emphasize that city development cannot run effectively without citizen involvement at every stage.

During the dialogue, the Vice Chairman of the Semarang City DPRD, Suharsono, S.S., M.Si., emphasized that public participation still needs to be expanded so that it does not stop at the ceremonial stage or merely attending a forum. He stated, “Public participation must be expanded, starting from initial planning, budgeting, implementation, to evaluation.”

Suharsono also explained that the community has the space to be involved in the development process, from drafting planning documents to determining the regional budget. This involvement can be carried out through the Musrenbang (Development Planning Forum) and various mechanisms for channeling aspirations, including public discussions.

In line with that, the Head of the Semarang City Bappeda (Regional Development Planning Agency), Budi Prakosa, S.T., M.T., conveyed that the City Government has opened tiered participation channels from the RT/RW (neighborhood/community unit) level through Musrenbang, while also providing official complaint channels so that citizens can convey their aspirations or monitor program implementation.

Meanwhile, the Dean of FISIP UNDIP, Dr. Drs. Teguh Yuwono, M.Pol.Admin, assessed that public participation is increasingly important as Semarang’s position continues to develop and is demanded to be more competitive. He emphasized that city development needs to be oriented towards citizen comfort and strengthening basic services—including the government’s response to issues such as waste and infrastructure—so that development has a real and sustainable impact.

Through this dialogue, the speakers underlined that urban challenges—ranging from environmental issues to public services—require collaboration: the government prepares policies and programs, the DPRD strengthens oversight and budgeting functions, the university provides scientific perspectives, and the community ensures development stays on target through active participation and social control.