Conservation and New Development in Historic Cities: The Case of Rehabilitation and Rebuilding of Public Offices in Solo, Indonesia

Development is an inevitable process to every city. Old buildings that are considered no longer able to function properly are rehabilitated or replaced. For an historic city, this development process needs to be regulated. This paper discusses theoretical studies concerning new development in historic cities as well as appropriate design approaches that hold sensitivity to the identity and character of a place. It also argues how local government play an important role as urban manager in determining planning and design in an historic city. As case studies, this paper explains the experience of Solo, Indonesia, and how the city demonstrated a preliminary effort to improve its cultural identity through the rehabilitation and rebuilding of public offices. It discusses how the Mayor JokoWidodo (2005-2012) and the Municipality of Solo involves in the design process. The paper concludes that a design guideline derived from an integrated city plan as well as profound research and observation prior to design process of conservation and new development are necessary in the urban heritage conservation of Solo.