Fort Worth’s relationship with Bandung was the first Sister City program between Indonesia and the U.S. Bandung is Indonesia’s third-largest city and the provincial capital of West Java. In fact, Bandung is often called the “Paris of Java,” referring to its position as Java’s most European city with a Colonial Era charm. It is also referred to as the “City of Flowers,” as blooming parks and gardens illuminate so much of the city. Bandung is located in a basin of the Parahyangan mountains at 2,300 feet above sea level where Sudanese culture abounds, reflecting the Hindu and Buddhist influences through dance, costumes, arts and crafts. The city has been the urban center of the Sudanese culture since the 1920s. Adding to Bandung’s beauty, cultural and rich history is modernity. With more than 25 schools of higher education and a thriving textile industry, Bandung enjoys both a vibrant collegiate atmosphere and vigorous business climate. The capital of the West Java province in Indonesia, Bandung is the country’s fourth-largest city and ranks as the fastest-growing major city/urban region in Indonesia.
Experience Bandung, Indonesia
In the post-9/11 environment, the Fort Worth/Bandung relationship intends to help set the standard by which U.S.-Islamic partnerships will be measured, thanks to the strong foundation between the two cities based on corporate connections with Bell Helicopter, Lockheed Martin and Pier 1 Imports, as well as Fort Worth Sister Cities International’s successful track record for developing sustainable relationships. The Fort Worth-Bandung partnership continues to work around language, distance and financial obstacles to produce many important exchanges, such as:
- Youth Ambassador exchanges between the cities
- University-based “Train the Trainers” nursing programs
- Municipal wastewater, security and management internships
- An international conference on women and medical school programs
- Economic, sports and cultural exchanges