Yogyakarta to Implement Vertical Housing to Restructure Slum Areas
The Yogyakarta City Government is beginning to advance measures to restructure slum areas and urban river embankments to address population density challenges in the second half of this year. One key approach is through the implementation of vertical housing.
Yogyakarta Mayor Hasto Wardoyo stated that this restructuring would be prioritised following approval from the Ministry of Housing and Urban Settlements, which inspected several target areas at the end of May 2026.
“One of the restructuring targets is focused on the Code River embankment area, which applies the vertical housing concept,” said Hasto in Yogyakarta on Monday, 1 June 2026.
He explained that the vertical housing concept, or modern stilt houses, is well-suited for riverbank areas. This is to create more pleasant public spaces to support public mental health.
Hasto stated that the Code area restructuring would be carried out through collaboration between government, communities, universities, companies, and the Yogyakarta Palace.
According to Hasto, there are currently approximately four kilometres of Code River area that need restructuring to connect the river inspection route from Sleman District border to Bantul, passing through Yogyakarta City.
“There are still four points that need to be completed so that the road beside Code River connects from one point to another as a river inspection route and emergency access for residents,” he said.
Hasto stated that the estimated budget for restructuring the area is approximately IDR 56 billion. Nevertheless, the city is optimistic that restructuring can continue through support from various parties and cross-sectoral collaboration.
Deputy Minister of Housing and Urban Settlements Fahri Hamzah visited two target restructuring sites in Yogyakarta City on Friday, 29 May 2026: the Giwangan Area in Umbulharjo District and the Code River embankment in Gondokusuman District.
Fahri explained that the government is currently seeking new areas, but with the requirement that they be in the city centre so that relocated residents do not move too far away.
He stated that if the distance is too far from the city centre, urban sprawl often occurs, resulting in relocated residents facing difficulties due to lack of school, hospital, and public facility infrastructure.
“Therefore, utilising land in the city centre is considered the most effective solution, particularly for densely populated areas in Java,” he said.
The site inspection, according to Fahri, could become a recommendation for providing affordable vertical housing in urban areas.
This cost advantage arises because the land is state property, whether owned by the central government, local government, or state-owned enterprises, enabling land costs to be reduced through government subsidies.
Vertical housing consolidation is considered far more efficient and comfortable given increasingly scarce rice fields and approximately 60 per cent of Indonesia’s population already concentrated on Java.
“In this restructuring, riverbank areas must remain pleasant, as slum areas typically lack organised public space. In future, slum areas must successfully create public spaces,” he said.