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Korea Herald
24-06-2025
- Business
- Korea Herald
Tiny homes for Indonesia's young urbanites draw criticism over livability
JAKARTA, Indonesia (Jakarta Post/ANN) -- The government's proposal to develop compact, subsidized 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 jeopardize 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 $6,121 and can reach up to $8,570, depending on location and size. The single-bedroom unit measures just 14 square meters and sits on a 25-square-meter plot, featuring a living room and a bathroom, while the larger double-bedroom unit offers 23.4 square meters of floor space on a 26.3-square-meter 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. Substandard space 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 subsidized house must occupy a 60-200-square-meter plot and its minimum building area must cover 21 square meters. They also fail to meet the international standards of the United Nations Human Settlements Program (UN-Habitat), which require a living area of at least 30 square meters 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, said in a statement. "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 3 million homes at the expense of basic human values." A draft ministerial decree leaked at the beginning of June revealed a proposal to downsize subsidized homes from a minimum 60-square-meter plot to just 25 square meters and a minimum 21-square-meter building area to 18 square meters. 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. The Housing Minister Maruarar "Ara" Sirait said he had explained the plan to Hashim, whom he described as "really helpful" to the program. Demanding real solutions 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 said. 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 prioritize 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.
Kuwait Times
06-05-2025
- General
- Kuwait Times
EPA, UN-Habitat and volunteers plant 300 mangrove saplings
KUWAIT: The Environment Public Authority (EPA), in cooperation with the United Nations Human Settlements Program (UN-Habitat) and the volunteer team from the Al-Shamiya Reserve, planted 300 mangrove saplings in the Jahra Nature Reserve on Tuesday, May 6, 2025. This initiative is part of an ongoing project launched in 2018 to experiment with mangrove cultivation in various parts of Kuwait, aiming to rehabilitate the coastal environment. default Photos by Yasser Al-Zayyat Since the project's inception, an increase in biodiversity has been observed, including marine crustaceans, coastal birds, and insects such as bees and butterflies during the plants' flowering season. Notably, today marked the recording and documentation of a rare insect species - the Dark-winged Groundling - which is found only in Iran, Iraq, Turkey, Syria and Palestine. As of 2006, the species has been listed as endangered on the IUCN Red List.
LBCI
17-04-2025
- Business
- LBCI
Finance Minister Yassine Jaber meets with UN-Habitat regional representative to discuss cooperation and land reform
Finance Minister Yassine Jaber met with Rania Hedeya, the regional representative of the United Nations Human Settlements Program (U.N.-Habitat), in the presence of Director General of Land Registration and Cadastre Georges Maarawi, Minister Jaber's advisor Claudine Karaki, and U.N.-Habitat urban planning coordinator Ornella Nohra. During the meeting, both sides stressed the importance of strengthening cooperation between the Ministry of Finance and U.N.-Habitat. Discussions focused on the ministry's priorities and how the program could provide support at both the central and regional levels. They also agreed on the need to accelerate this cooperation to achieve tangible results that improve public services and enhance information security. Several key technical issues were discussed, including the need to standardize property valuation criteria based on scientific foundations, modernize existing systems, and establish a disaster recovery site for data backup. The parties also discussed the importance of creating accurate maps of state-owned private properties. The conversation touched on the possibility of launching a reconstruction platform for Lebanon, with Minister Jaber stressing the importance of placing such a platform under the supervision of the Council for Development and Reconstruction (CDR). The meeting also included a review of successful international experiences. Hedeya cited Egypt's experience developing the betterment tax, which increased state revenues. She also pointed to opportunities for support from some European countries, particularly in developing Lebanon's land registry system and revitalizing the agricultural sector to boost economic growth. This would include a focus on exporting high-value crops and working with European partners.
