Yogyakarta Revitalises Slum Areas with Lantern Village
The Yogyakarta City Government has intensified efforts to improve the appearance of settlements along riverbanks to make them more liveable and highly aesthetic through the development of a programme called Kampung Lampion. Yogyakarta Mayor Hasto Wardoyo stated that the transformation of this area is carried out through a strong mutual cooperation approach amid regional fiscal limitations.
“With a budget of around Rp 1.5 billion in 2025, we completed the construction of 10 housing units with good construction quality thanks to the self-management system and support from local residents,” Hasto said during a visit to the settlement area on the banks of the Code River in Yogyakarta together with the Coordinating Ministry for Infrastructure and Regional Development on Saturday, 25 April 2026.
Hasto detailed that in this programme, his side not only focuses on housing but is also preparing supporting infrastructure in the form of 3 to 4 metre wide neighbourhood roads to ensure access for emergency vehicles such as ambulances and fire engines.
According to him, out of the total target of 38 houses in Kampung Lampion located in Kotabaru, 10 units were completed in 2025, with six units funded by the regional budget and four units resulting from university collaborations.
Entering 2026, construction continues with eight additional houses and one unit from a CSR programme, while the remainder is scheduled for full completion in 2027.
Hasto added that the key to organising densely populated areas like along the Code River is using a persuasive approach and the zero conflict principle to ensure the arrangement process runs harmoniously without upheaval.
“We want through the Kampung Lampion programme for Yogyakarta City to become a centre of excellence in community-based riverbank settlement arrangement,” Hasto said.
The Kampung Lampion initiative, according to Hasto, originated from community cooperation to transform slum areas into creative tourism destinations. Thus, the row of uninhabitable houses along the riverbank now features a series of colourful houses adorned with lanterns.
The beauty of this village can be enjoyed from afar, such as from the top of Sayidan Bridge or Gondolayu Bridge.
Deputy for Coordinating Housing Development and Settlement Infrastructure from the Coordinating Ministry for Infrastructure and Regional Development, Ronny Ariuly Hutahayan, assessed that Kampung Lampion embodies the successful integration of physical and social aspects, elevating local wisdom as the main strength of the development programme.
“This is not easy to do, how mutual cooperation and local wisdom become the strength in arranging areas along the Code River,” Ronny stated.
He opined that this best practice in Yogyakarta deserves to be highlighted as a national-level lesson for integrated slum area handling. Through multi-stakeholder collaboration between government, private sector, and non-governmental organisations.
Nevertheless, Ronny also highlighted the need for strengthening infrastructure, facilities, and utilities such as environmental sanitation to make the area healthier for its residents.
In addition to being a housing solution, Kampung Lampion has now transformed into a tourism spot offering photography experiences for tourists, river tracing activities, and local culinary tourism.
The presence of hundreds of colourful lanterns lighting up at night creates a different atmosphere while proving that community creativity can revive riverbank areas that were previously considered untidy.