Slum revitalization gives settlement added value: Deputy Minister

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Jakarta (ANTARA) – Deputy Public Works Minister Diana Kusumastuti said that handling slum areas, such as the revitalization of Mrican Kampung in Yogyakarta, could give kampung or settlement added value.

“From here we see that we must collaborate and there must be creativity, so we can create a kampung, a handling of an area that was once slum into a kampung that is very useful and has added value,” Kusumastuti said at a press conference on the sidelines of the World Conference on Creative Economy (WCCE) here on Friday.

One example, according to her, is the handling of Mrican Kampung in Yogyakarta, which used to be a slum settlement.

“So we asked the people there what they needed and what they wanted. We also gave guidance on roughly what a settlement should be like. That way, the roads get fixed, waste must have a processing site, and water must be available too,” she said.

As a result, she continued, Mrican Kampung was realized, which is now equipped with riverbank arrangements, well-managed waste because it has an integrated waste processing site, and neat roads.

“Women in the community can now earn income, and their creativity there has products that can be sold. Trade has clear (pathway), I am sure there is an economy there, too,” she said.

She added that she thinks education is also in place, with schools there producing more of the best results for handling the slum area.

Coordinating Minister for Infrastructure and Regional Development Agus Harimurti Yudhoyono praised the successful integrated arrangement of Mrican Kampung in Condongcatur, Sleman District, Yogyakarta, which transformed from a dense, slum area into a neat, healthy, and comfortable environment.

Now, residents’ homes that previously faced away from the river are now arranged to face the water flow (riverfront), creating a more open, healthy, and comfortable environment.

According to Yudhoyono, the approach not only improves the area’s aesthetics, but also improves air circulation, lowers flood risk, and provides better open space for the community, especially children.