Indonesia’s urban poor are pioneering collective housing solutions to counter displacement and housing insecurity. In February 2024, our partner, the Asian Coalition for Housing Rights (ACHR), explored how the Urban Poor Consortium (UPC) is scaling up cooperative housing networks nationwide.
In February 2024, ACHR project coordinator Marina Kolovou Kouri visited Indonesia to gain deeper insights into the local collective housing movement, particularly the ongoing efforts to scale up housing cooperative networks to a national level.
This process is being led by the Urban Poor Consortium (UPC), one of urbaMonde’s newest project partners in Asia. The collective housing movement plays a crucial role in addressing housing inequality, not only in Indonesia but also in urban settings worldwide. Marina Kolovou Kouri engaged with organisations in Jakarta, Yogyakarta, and Bandar Lampung to exchange experiences and gather insights. This is an account of her journey, the movement’s impact, and its global relevance.
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Summary and Content
Contextualising UPC’s Efforts : Addressing Indonesia’s Housing Crisis
Indonesia faces a severe housing deficit, with 12.5 million units lacking and a market-driven system that fails to provide affordable solutions for lower-income communities. Despite 70% of homes being self-built, government support remains minimal, and financing options exclude the urban poor. Meanwhile, rapid urbanisation and large-scale developments increase displacement risks.
In response, collective housing—based on shared ownership, pooled resources, and participatory decision-making—offers a sustainable alternative. In Jakarta, UPC and local partners have successfully implemented participatory upgrading initiatives, improving housing conditions without requiring formal land titles. These efforts, supported by political backing, have led to transformative projects benefiting low-income communities.
Building on these successes, UPC is expanding this model to eight additional cities. Their approach focuses on strengthening grassroots organisations, developing community-led finance mechanisms, and advocating for legal reforms to secure collective land rights. By positioning cooperatives as key actors in housing development, the initiative aims to create lasting, scalable solutions to Indonesia’s housing challenges.
Understand better Jakarta’s diverse community-led housing landscape
- On-site Upgrading and Reblocking : Kampungs Tongkol, Lodan, and Krapu & Kampung Marlina.
- Land Consolidation : Kampungs in Muara Angke & Kampung Gang Lengkong
- Vertical Kampung : Kampung Susun Akuarium & Kampung Susun Kunir
Get inspired by the movement’s achievements
- Building people’s collective awareness and organisation by establishing housing cooperatives : communities have shifted from being vulnerable to eviction to actively shaping their neighborhoods.
- Fostering a cross-sectoral movement : coordinated advocacy has reshaped public attitudes towards kampungs.
- Shifting the system from the ground up : through bottom-up regulatory changes, collective building permits, the Urban Land Reform Program and land-use conversion in spatial plans.
Learn more about UPC and their partners’ work, in particular how
- The people’s movement in Bandar Lampung is being reactivated
- Cooperation in Yogyakarta’s housing movement is being scaled up
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