30. The Development of Subak Sembung of Kota Denpasar: From a Cultural Landscape of an Agrarian Society to That of a Tourist-Based Society

The topic in this paper discusses the management of Subak Sembung of Kota Denpasar as a significant cultural landscape in Bali. It examines several determining factors to its sustainability, including (1) physical elements and value system underlining the management of this distinctive irrigation system unique to the island, (2) managerial and the organization of the Subak including parties involved in the process of exercising its function, and (3) determining factors for the conservation of Subak Sembung as a destination for ecotourism in Denpasar. Using phenomenological approaches, this article discusses Subak as a social organization that determines the formation of a specific territory contributing to the creation of a distinctive cultural landscape. Study findings show that unlike the case of other Subak of Kota Denpasar, many spatial elements of Subak Sembung have been kept unchanged for centuries. This circumstance has specifically been aspired by a firm belief the krama Subak Sembung have in their association as part of culture and traditions to be consciously conserved on a daily basis.