Affordable housing is key to creating efficient and livable cities around the world, as it is strongly related to other factors such as mobility and sustainability.

Public Works and Public Housing Minister Basuki Hadimuljono has pledged that the ministry will provide housing for residents that supports sustainable cities. 

Basuki said on the sidelines of the third UN Preparatory Meeting ( PrepCom3 ) themed “Housing and Sustainable Urban Development” in Surabaya, East Java on Tuesday that he had been inspired by the new urban housing agenda. 

“Housing should be socially inclusive, economically efficient, environmentally protective and culturally adaptive. I will hold this principle. I even took note during the discussion,” he said. 

Basuki elaborated that socially inclusive meant that all people, with no exception, deserved proper housing. 

“Housing is a right,” he said.

....

Meanwhile, developers can only build around 300,000 to 400,000 houses annually, according to the Indonesian Real Estate Association (REI). The ministry is also struggling to tackle the backlog through its housing programs.

A study conducted by UN Habitat in cooperation with New York University and the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy in 200 cities with populations above 100,000 people shows that many households cannot afford to own or rent a house.