Ecological damage and individualistic behavior: A study on the urban crisis in Surakarta City

Abstract

Abstract The city is the face of civilization supported by high economic growth, superior human resource quality, and government center. However, a crisis phenomenon is stored behind the city’s greatness due to human behavior within it. One aspect mostly affected is an ecological one. This study focused on the urban ecological crisis in Surakarta City. This paper’s research question is; what type of individualistic behavior of the people of Surakarta City? What environmental sector is closest to an ecological crisis indicator according to local communities? Does individualistic behavior affect the higher level of ecological crisis in Surakarta? The author used a mixed-method with a quantitative-dominant and qualitative-less design. Field research procedure has been conducted involving observation, in-depth interviews, and quantitative survey. The statistical analysis process with Pearson’s correlation model shows a positive relationship between individualistic behavior and the ecological crisis in Surakarta City. The finding in the individualistic variable is mostly affected by comers’ existence and the suspicion among fellow citizens, leading to the revocation deprivation of social values and the fading gotong royong (mutual cooperation) culture. In this study, the ecological crisis is defined as the degraded city facilities, green open space, and river.