The Indonesian Housing Cooperative Network successfully held the first Indonesian Housing Cooperative Festival.
We are pleased to share the article prepared by our partner, the Urban Poor Consortium, in Indonesia, where the first Housing Cooperatives Festival was held.
Google Translation via UPC website
The housing crisis and unequal access to land in major cities require equitable, inclusive, and sustainable solutions. Housing cooperatives offer the answer, offering collective ownership that empowers communities to manage their living spaces. In line with the UN’s designation of 2025 as the International Year of Cooperatives , the first Indonesian Housing Cooperative Festival provides a learning platform, shares practices, and strengthens the movement towards a just and humane housing system.
This festival was made possible through the collaboration of more than 30 organizations in Indonesia, consisting of 17 supporting organizations, 10 community-based groups, and 24 village cooperatives, with a series of activities taking place in Jakarta, Semarang, Surabaya, Bali, and Bandung.
From May to August, the festival presents various programs: Reading Club, Workshops, Public Discussions, Film Screenings, Public Consultations, Climate Picnic , Village Tours, Work-in-Progress Architectural Assistance, and the City Garden Harvest Festival. The peak event is held on August 16 with the theme “Home is Not a Dream: Building a Home Through a Housing Cooperative” , located at Kampung Susun Akuarium—one of the housing cooperative initiatives already running in Indonesia.
The festival successfully involved around 1,500 people in the effort to fight for the vision of decent and affordable housing, becoming an important milestone for the birth of the first Housing Cooperative Festival in Indonesia.
The culminating event, Rumah Bukan Mimpi (Home Is Not a Dream) , featured various activities: public discussions, workshops, a bazaar, a housing cooperative declaration, and an exhibition. This event not only showcased existing practices but also served as a platform for shared learning, strengthening solidarity, and building collaboration toward an inclusive, affordable, and equitable city.
