<![CDATA[Low literacy-numeracy achievements among Indonesian elementary students stem from rigid, single-answer procedural mathematics instruction. This study maps the hierarchical patterns of upper-grade elementary students' Grades IV–VI mathematical creative thinking processes through open-ended literacy-numeracy tasks embedded in urban contexts. A mixed-methods sequential exploratory design was employed. Qualitative subjects were selected via purposive sampling based on academic achievement levels high, medium, low, across SDN Margahayu XI and SD Islam Labschool Bani Saleh in Bekasi City, alongside 180 quantitative test participants chosen via cluster sampling. Thematic analysis and constant comparative method identified 4 levels of creative thinking: Level 0 Pre-Creative/Imitative at 35%, Level 1 Emerging/Fluency Emphasis at 25%, Level 2 Flexible Contextual at 22%, and Level 3 Original & Elaborative at 18%. Cross-tabulation indicated high achievers dominated Levels 2 and 3 (85%), medium achievers reached Levels 2 and 3 (35%), and low achievers attained Level 1 (30%). Instrument validation yielded Aiken's V of 0.86–0.92 and Cronbach's Alpha of 0.81–0.84 (very high). Goodness of Fit testing confirmed a theoretical model integrating 4 cognitive dimensions with 3 urban stimuli (Spatial-Urban Mobility, Socio-Economic Artifacts, Environmental Literacy). These findings highlight the necessity of transitioning from imitative reasoning to creative mathematically founded reasoning.]]>
