The Change in the Meaning of the Symbol of States’ Power in the Area of Medan Merdeka Jakarta E. A. Airlangga 1 , Susanto 2 , Warto 3 { 1 egaazariaa@gmail.com, 2 susantofibuns@staff.uns.ac.id, 3 warto2013@staff.uns.ac.id} 1,2,3 Cultural Studies Program, Postgraduate Faculty, Universitas Sebelas Maret Abstract The Jakarta downtown area, which is Medan Merdeka area was historically established by the Dutch colonial government. However, this area now has become a national symbol and the central government of the Indonesian Republic. This research aims to find the relations patterns between the urban planning, the states, and the societies through employing structuration theory proposed by Anthony Giddens. The research result concluded that state as a structure and the society as an agent play a role to shape the meaning and the cities’ order. The meaning of Medan Merdeka area of Jakarta is continuing to change, in accordance with the social and political conditions of the Indonesian people. Keywords: Urban Planning, Urban Symbolism, Jakarta 1. Introduction The city is a residential area consisting of various buildings which are a unit of residence from various society stratum. A city is not automatically formed, but it is influenced by geographic, political, and socio-economic factors. These factors form a city layout that is filled with various symbols. According to Nas [1], symbol is something that refers to something else, which contains extrinsic values. The city symbolism is demonstrated through various phenomena, such as urban spatial planning, architecture, sculpture, street or regional names, rituals, festivals, processional ceremonies, etc. and in which all of it can be referred as "symbol bearers". According to Lynch [2], a city is built, designed, and reconstructed according to the owner’s wishes, which is the people who inhabit it. The image of a city can be seen from the physical form that exist in the city. The physical form in a city is a symbol of the thought and needs of the city dweller. There are five physical elements that affect the city such as the roads, city boundaries, districts, crowds, and regional markers or landmarks. A certain regime can influence the form of the city planning with the aim of forming an ideology in society. The meaning of a city planning is not permanent, because if a new regime or ideology emerges, they will try to create a new meaning in the city planning. Grabar [3] explains that the meaning of city planning can change without having to completely overhaul its physical form. Hagen [4] stated that the remained form in a different meaning indicates a change in ideology in the urban society. In addition, the meaning of an urban plan can be conveyed through the names of places in the city. The name of a place in the city is usually associated with the historical events or legends that takes place in that place. Cretan and BASA 2019, September 20-21, Surakarta, Indonesia Copyright © 2020 EAI DOI 10.4108/eai.20-9-2019.2296687