Housing Forum Indonesia 2021 : Building Inclusive Housing for Better Lives
Fulfilling the need for livable and affordable housing in the property sector is considered to drive the economy because it is directly related to the scope of supporting industries.
Budi Sastrawinata, Head of the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry under Integrated Property Area Development Agency, stated at the Indonesia Housing Forum, which was held online on Thursday (Oct, 14th 2021), that “The property industry’s ecosystem has a vital role in fixing the needs.”
Budi added that the property industry covers various aspects, such as housing, shop houses, apartments, the superblock area consists of offices and shopping centers, then TOR, namely airports and ports. Furthermore, the tourism area consists of resorts, hotels, and eco-tourism. In addition, there are also new urban areas and urban rejuvenation, as well as industrial areas. All of these are related to the needs of financial services such as banking, taxes, REITs, Tapera, and BPJS which also related to other supporting services such as brokerage, consultants, building, and housing management.
According to Budi, the property industry can contribute to the National GDP reaching 7-9% if we combined the overall process. The property industry can also have a multiplier effect on 175 sectors and 350 related SMEs. The use of local materials can reach up to 90-100% and employees at least up to 30 million workers.
“If the property industry ecosystem is good, the supply chain is also good. It will make it easier to accelerate the development of needs in this sector,” concluded Budiarsa.
National Director of Habitat Indonesia, Susanto, who is also the Chairman of the Indonesia Housing Forum, said, “Habitat Indonesia as a non-profit organization that focuses on providing decent housing in Indonesia also continues to advocate for affordable housing for low-income families. Established 24 years ago, Habitat has served more than 168,000 families in obtaining housing, sanitation, and access to water.”
Susanto added that there were still millions of families that needed help. Through the Indonesia Housing Forum, each participant is placed inclusively as a stakeholder so that everyone can better understand the problems and challenges in realizing decent housing.
Since 2017, the Indonesia Housing Forum has involved academics who provide in-depth studies related to housing development in Indonesia.
Hadi Prabowo, Dean of FTSP Trisakti University, said, “The follow-up program carried out by Trisakti related to housing and settlements is in the form of community service programs which is translated into counseling, training, design consultations, and pilots connected to housing and settlements.”
According to Hadi, educational institutions, including the Faculty of Civil Engineering and Planning (FTSP) of Trisakti University and the non-governmental organization Habitat for Humanity Indonesia, need to collaborate to address the need for livable housing for low-income communities through research, workshops, and community service.