Land Scarcity in Bali Prompts MP to Call for Talks on Vertical Housing

Member of Commission III of the Indonesian House of Representatives (DPR RI) I Nyoman Parta believes discussions are needed regarding the potential construction of vertical housing (rusun) in Bali to avoid rejection from local communities. “If we talk about building rusun directly now, with piecemeal planning, there will certainly be widespread rejection, so matters like this require lengthy discussions,” Parta said in Denpasar on Friday. The politician from Gianyar views vertical housing as an increasingly viable option amid the growing scarcity of land for Bali’s residents, even though Bali firmly upholds customary values and spatial planning regulations. The issue of housing needs was raised during his discussion regarding complaints from several residents forced to rent boarding houses in their own traditional villages. Previously, Minister of Housing and Settlement Areas Maruarar Sirait also touched on this matter during a visit to Bali, noting the limited land availability amidst the government’s efforts to curb the conversion of productive land. In some areas such as Badung Regency, Parta has even found land prices reaching IDR 1 billion per are, forcing residents needing land for housing to compete with the tourism industry, which treats land as a commercial asset. “As a result, many end up piling into one house, and if not, they eventually choose to rent. There are even those who rent in their own village; customary villagers renting in their own customary village because they cannot afford to buy a plot of land—it is ironic. So indeed, for the long term, a solution must be considered through discussion,” said Nyoman Parta. “What the community fears is that vertical housing will appear everywhere, then more people will come and ultimately it will not serve its original purpose. Therefore, we need to discuss zones, where we are allowed to build vertical housing and that it should not be built just anywhere,” he said. He sees this as a momentum to enforce stricter spatial planning rules on the Island of the Gods, ensuring that Balinese people born or long seeking a livelihood in Bali can obtain decent housing. “I have actually conveyed this idea to colleagues in the Bali Regional House of Representatives (DPRD Bali); I contacted one or two, and the discussion connected because it simultaneously addresses spatial planning violations that have been vigorously enforced. The point is, violations should not be allowed to persist for long, and we must continue to pay attention to the community,” he stated.