Tiny homes for young urbanites draw criticism over livability

The Star

20-06-2025

JAKARTA: The government's proposal to develop compact, subsidised housing for urban youth is facing growing criticism from both experts and potential occupants, who say the poor design and cramped living conditions of these 'mini houses' could jeopardise their inhabitants' physical and psychological well-being.
The Public Housing and Settlements Ministry last week showcased two prototype units at Lippo Mall Nusantara in South Jakarta. The homes, which are slated for development in Jakarta and the surrounding cities of Bekasi, Bogor, Depok and Tangerang in partnership with real estate giant Lippo Group, have a starting price of Rp 100 million (US$6,121) and can reach up to Rp 140 million, depending on location and size.
The single-bedroom unit measures just 14 square metres and sits on a 25 sq m plot, featuring a living room and a bathroom, while the larger double-bedroom unit offers 23.4 sq m of floor space on a 26.3 sq m plot that includes a living room and two bathrooms. Each unit also comes with a carport nearly as large as the living area.
'These smaller homes aim to attract young people, particularly Gen Zers who wish to [live] closer to their workplace [in] minimalist and affordable homes in urban areas,' Urban Housing Director Sri Haryati said on Monday (June 16).
However, critics say the mini houses fall far short of acceptable standards and could do more harm than good. Observers have noted that their design lacks basic features such as proper lighting and ventilation, key elements of livable housing.
These compact units also appear to violate existing regulations. Under a 2023 decree of the Public Works and Housing Ministry, a subsidised house must occupy a 60-200 sq m plot and its minimum building area must cover 21 sq m.
They also fail to meet the international standards of the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat), which require a living area of at least 30 sq m per house.
'This proposal represents a step backward in the fulfillment of the right to a decent home,' Tulus Abadi, chairman of the Indonesian Empowered Consumers Forum (FKBI), said in a statement received on Tuesday by The Jakarta Post.
'A house is not just a shelter. It is a space that supports physical health, emotional stability, family life and overall well-being.' Tulus added that such tiny homes were unsuited to long-term human habitation, as they did not have the capacity to accommodate the evolving needs of growing families.
Eventually, their occupants might abandon them, leaving behind empty dwellings and deteriorating neighborhoods.
The FKBI has urged the government to abandon its plan to build mini houses and instead focus on developing affordable, livable vertical housing, especially in space-constrained urban areas like Greater Jakarta.
'We don't need cheap homes that diminish the human spirit. We need decent housing that upholds dignity,' Tulus said. 'Don't chase the target of three million homes at the expense of basic human values.'
A draft ministerial decree leaked at the beginning of June revealed a proposal to downsize subsidised homes from a minimum 60 sq m plot to just 25 sq m and a minimum 21 sq m building area to 18 sq m.
Sri Haryati defended the proposed size reduction, saying it aimed to address the national housing backlog of 9.9 million units, 80 percent of which were in urban areas.
The proposed downsizing was previously questioned by the public housing task force led by presidential adviser Hashim Djojohadikusumo, who is also the younger brother of President Prabowo Subianto.
On Tuesday however, housing minister Maruarar 'Ara' Sirait said he had explained the plan to Hashim, whom he described as 'really helpful' to the programme.
For Rahma, a university student who lives in Depok, owning such a tiny home is simply not viable. 'I saw the display [unit], and I couldn't even imagine stretching out comfortably in it,' she told the Post on Monday. Rahma added that she would rather spend more money to rent a larger space than live in something that could harm her physical and mental health.
A 2024 survey by consulting firm Inventure Indonesia found that two out of three Gen Z respondents expressed pessimism about the prospect of buying a house in the next three years, citing soaring real estate prices as the biggest obstacle.
Urban planning experts say the government's housing policy is driven by market logic rather than living needs. Anwar Basil Arifin, head of research at Menemukenali Project, a media platform focusing on urban advocacy, said the government should prioritise house designs that met health and safety standards that were also easy to navigate.
Speaking on Sunday at the Jakarta Future Festival 2025, which ran from June 13 to 15 at Taman Ismail Marzuki in Menteng, Central Jakarta, Anwar highlighted that the key to the city's housing strategy was transit-oriented development. 'Jakarta's housing crisis isn't just a market failure, it is a crisis of urban design and imagination,' he said. - The Jakarta Post/ANN