Expanding Knowledge from the Roots and the South
In September 2024, I received an email invitation from John Forester to write an essay on inspirations in planning for Planning Theory & Practice. John Forester is one of the leading and respected planning scholars and theorists. I have read his books and other academic publications since I was a doctoral student and admired his consistent and excellent works. It did not take me long to accept his invitation. I was honored and delighted to be part of his edited work.
Forester asked the contributors to write an essay of up to 1,000 words on quotations from fieldwork interviews, related research, or texts that have inspired their work, theory, and practice. I started my essay with my conversation with my mentor, Lois Takahashi, at the 2006 Association of Collegiate Schools of Planning Conference in Fort Worth, TX, nearly twenty years ago!
Takahashi said to me, "Why don’t you research Indonesia? You have the language and the network to do it…You should expand our knowledge using your roots." Those profound words have become a guiding principle in my academic work. I started this blog in January 2007 because of her words. The blog also complements my academic works on Indonesian cities, particularly Jakarta. I am so grateful for her encouragement to continue my work in Indonesian cities.
My essay and other contributors' essays have been published here. The title of my essay is "Expanding Knowledge from the Roots and the South." In addition to Takahashi's words, Vanessa Watson's quotation, "A view of planning from outside the global heartland where it has its origins – i.e., a view from the global South – provides a useful and necessary unsettling of taken-for-granted assumptions in planning," is another important source of inspiration for my work.
I concluded my essay, "Takahashi and Watson have inspired me to recognize the importance of viewing urban challenges through a lens rooted in local contexts. Leveraging personal identity in research can provide fresh insights and challenge dominant Western-centric concepts, ultimately enriching the discourse and paving the way for more inclusive urban planning theories and practices."
The publisher offers all authors 50 free online copies of their articles to share with others. If you can't access the essays from the above link, you can use and access the essays from the following link:
https://www.tandfonline.com/eprint/IRP3NJB9PHBH4NFQVAFJ/full?target=10.1080/14649357.2025.2474336
