{
    "success": true,
    "data": {
        "id": 1761873,
        "msgid": "when-communities-become-the-growth-engine-of-malang-city-1780342139",
        "date": "2026-05-24 21:01:45",
        "title": "When Communities Become the Growth Engine of Malang City",
        "author": "",
        "source": "CNBC",
        "tags": "",
        "topic": "Economy",
        "summary": "Malang\u2019s economy thrives through community-driven initiatives, particularly its student population, which fuels a dynamic creative sector and startup ecosystem. While challenges like talent retention and fragmented communities persist, the city\u2019s strong social capital and collaborative potential between universities, government, and business underscore its status as a key growth engine in Indonesia.",
        "content": "<p>From dining tables to classrooms still lit at 8pm, Malang harbours an\neconomic growth secret unseen in any statistical data. \u2018Let\u2019s drop by my\noffice,\u2019 my colleague said just after dinner. I glanced at the clock\u2014it\nwas 8pm, a Friday. \u2018What\u2019s going on at the office this late on a\nFriday?\u2019 I asked. \u2018Just come along,\u2019 he replied simply, with a smile\nthat piqued my curiosity. Eventually, I followed his invitation. My\ncolleague\u2014let\u2019s call him Iqbal\u2014is an old friend I met during the\nAustralia-Indonesia youth exchange program in 2001. During the second\nphase of the programme, I spent two months in Malang, interning at one\nof the country\u2019s largest media outlets. Time flies, and now Iqbal is a\ndirector at a prestigious educational institution in the city. On\narriving at the office, I was taken aback. Lights were still blazing at\n8:30pm. \u2018Good evening!\u2019 voices greeted me from inside. They were Iqbal\u2019s\nbusiness consulting students, working on assignments\u2014not out of\nobligation, but because this culture had taken root. In the next room:\nlaptops glowing, presentation slides open, discussions flowing freely.\nThat night felt different. Joy, motivation, and hope radiated from the\nyoung faces. Iqbal explained his students were being groomed for careers\nat the Big Four firms post-graduation\u2014and relentless studying was part\nof Brawijaya University\u2019s campus culture. I returned home that night\nwith one question echoing: what truly sets Malang apart? \u2018When students\narrive, they bring more than books\u2014they bring money, ideas, networks,\nand energy.\u2019 Student City: The Community Engine Malang is more than just\nan \u2018apple city\u2019 or \u2018green city\u2019\u2014though both titles are well-deserved. It\nis a city sustained by communities, with its youth forming the largest\ndriving force. Approximately 40% of Malang\u2019s total population are\nstudents. This figure is more than a demographic statistic\u2014it is the\neconomic and cultural foundation shaping the city\u2019s identity. More\nstrikingly, nearly 30% hail from the Jabodetabek region (Jakarta\nmetropolitan area). This means Malang has become a national education\nhub, attracting students beyond East Java, with economic consequences: a\nthriving culinary sector, a pulsating creative economy, and a startup\necosystem gradually finding momentum. Social Capital: An Underestimated\nAdvantage In urban development discourse, we often fixate on physical\ninfrastructure\u2014roads, buildings, airports. Malang reminds us of a far\nharder-to-build and more resilient asset: social capital. Malang boasts\na diverse and competitive education ecosystem. From Brawijaya University\nand State University of Malang to dozens of private institutions,\ninter-institutional competition drives curriculum innovation\u2014including\nthe Friday night study culture I witnessed firsthand. Communities grow\norganically across sectors: arts, technology, environment, cuisine\u2014all\nactive and interconnected. Affordable living costs make Malang\nhospitable for experimentation: young people can launch businesses, open\ncoffee shops, or start startups without the crushing rent pressures of\nJakarta or Surabaya. Challenges: Fragmentation and Talent Retention Yet\nMalang faces challenges. Community-driven growth carries inherent risks:\nfragmentation. Too many disconnected communities can slow collective\ninnovation. The city must act as an orchestrator\u2014building collaborative\nplatforms rather than letting communities develop in isolation. Talent\nretention remains a major challenge. Malang produces thousands of\nqualified graduates annually, yet many opt for careers in Jakarta or\nother major cities. Collaboration between universities, local\ngovernment, and industry is key to reversing this trend. \u2018When Singapore\nand Europe come to learn from Malang, it\u2019s time we stop looking down on\nour own city.\u2019 Creative KEK: A School That Sells Work, Not Just Teaches\nMy visit didn\u2019t stop at Iqbal\u2019s classroom. I toured Malang\u2019s Special\nEconomic Zone (KEK), where a creative industry school stands at its\nheart\u2014not as an add-on, but as the brain. Here, young designers craft\nexport-oriented local products. Musicians, animators, and digital\ncontent creators are honed not just for domestic markets, but for the\nglobal stage. The model is project-based: students tackle real industry\nbriefs, not fictional assignments. Outputs can be sold, exhibited, or\neven patented. This is no ordinary school\u2014it\u2019s a creative talent factory\nintegrated directly with the business ecosystem. At my hotel, I met a\ngroup of students from Singapore\u2019s NUS and a professor from Ghent\nUniversity, Belgium\u2014not as tourists, but studying Southeast Asia\u2019s\ncreative economy comparatively. The fact that top European and\nSingaporean institutions choose Malang as a research lab speaks for\nitself. Culinary as a Classroom: When Dining Tables Become Real Lessons\nIf the KEK is a formal laboratory, Malang\u2019s streets are an open\nclassroom that never closes. Thousands of students from various\ncampuses<\/p>",
        "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/when-communities-become-the-growth-engine-of-malang-city-1780342139",
        "image": ""
    },
    "sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
    "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}