We believe that citizens should be at the heart of the decision-making process that determines the environment and the quality of living of the urban centers they reside in. They are entitled to governance that is inclusive, transparent and socially just.
We are a non-profit organization based in the Indonesian city of Solo with expertise in urban planning and citizen participation in the design and development of cities. We provide education, facilitate citizen participation and collective action, and work with governments to build bridges between officials and their constituencies.
In our experience carrying out projects in 12 rapidly urbanizing Indonesian cities, we have found that when citizens and stakeholders understand urban issues and work together, services improve, poverty is reduced and inequality narrows, as poor communities become empowered to make a living.
The bulk of our work has been in Indonesia, but we have taken our knowledge and experience to other fast urbanizing countries in the region, where participatory governance is on the agenda and is gaining momentum.
Kota Kita is committed to shaping the next generation of actively engaged urban leaders by promoting learning and developing tools. We do this through research, capacity building and providing pedagogic experiences within our organization.
Kota Kita believes that sharing information can help people better understand how to take advantage of opportunities and overcome the challenges that come with rapid urbanization. We are committed to raising awareness through making urban information available and accessible to promote action and change.
Kota Kita believes that everyone in cities is important; we all have roles and responsibilities for of actively participating in making our communities better places. We facilitate and promote the involvement of all people, especially the marginalized and excluded, to bring in different perspectives, voices and strengths, to make cities better places.
Every member of the Kota Kita team brings a different skill set to the table, making the organization dynamic and diverse, and most of all, an interesting place to work!