Read on Twitter
Did I hear demands to start a thread on why Purwokerto is *the* future? https://twitter.com/kangrozin/status/1263711898349891584
Ok, let's start with a simple observation: Purwokerto is the future because many major cities in Indonesia are now on the path of decline. These cities that have in the past decades grown rapidly and become a magnet for migrants are starting to lose their attractiveness.
Soaring minimum wages and land prices mean many labor intensive industries have to check out of old industrial cities like Tangerang, Bekasi, Batam to regions that have abundant cheap labors and lands and adequate infrastructures. There are not many regions that fit this profile
But Purwokerto is surrounded by such regions: Cilacap, Brebes, Kebumen, Purbalingga. All of these regencies have cheap lands, good infrastructure, and low min wages. Both the government and businesses know this, and they are now working on building massive industrial zones there
Since people will go where jobs are and more other businesses will go where the customers are so these surrounding these regencies will experience massive population growth in the coming years.
Purwokerto itself is not going to become an industrial center, but to reap the benefit of all these relocations, it doesn't have to be one. It just needs to be better at what it does best: becoming the financial, commercial, and cultural center for its neighbors.
If you're a well-paid manager/engineer in these regencies and you already have family, you wouldn't want to live there. Schools are mediocre, hospitals are mediocre, shopping facilities are mediocre, cultural events are rare. These are areas where Purwokerto stand out.
Education, healthcare, commerce, and culture are the sources of Purwokerto's competitive advantage over its neighbors, and they all are sustainable.
