[Tujuan dari tulisan ini adalah untuk memahami tujuan dan bagaimana taman kota berfungsi. Mengambil Taman Tematik yang sedang gencar dibangun di Bandung sebagai objek studi kasus, tulisan ini mencoba menganalisa dan mengkritisi bagaimana pemberian tema pada taman kota tidak selalu berdampak positif dalam meningkatkan kualitas sosial yang seharusnya taman kota tawarkan. Dengan memahami cara kerja dan tujuan taman, kita dapat memahami bagaimana mendesain dan merencanakan taman kota yang hidup dan mengundang orang untuk datang. Studi tentang taman ini akan dilandasi dengan teori mengenai taman kota dan membandingkannya dengn kondisi pada Taman Tematik yang berada di Bandung. Untuk mendapatkan pemahaman tentang tujuan taman kota Bandung, telah dilakukan juga wawancancara dengan Walikota Bandung.;The aim of this writing is to understand the purpose and how a city park works. By taking the emerging Taman Tematik in Bandung as a case study, this writing criticize how giving theme to the parks may harm the park rather than promoting the social quality of the parks. By understanding the purpose and how parks works, we can understand how to design and plan a lively parks in the city that invites the people in rather than blocking them out with their visible or invisible fences. The study will based on theories about parks and compared it to the condition in Taman Tematik of Bandung. An interview is also conducted to get an insight on how parks in Bandung are planned and designed., The aim of this writing is to understand the purpose and how a city park works. By taking the emerging Taman Tematik in Bandung as a case study, this writing criticize how giving theme to the parks may harm the park rather than promoting the social quality of the parks. By understanding the purpose and how parks works, we can understand how to design and plan a lively parks in the city that invites the people in rather than blocking them out with their visible or invisible fences. The study will based on theories about parks and compared it to the condition in Taman Tematik of Bandung. An interview is also conducted to get an insight on how parks in Bandung are planned and designed.]