Urban policies in solo

Abstract

This chapter looks the applied urban policies of Solo since the election of mayor Joko Widodo in 2005. The empirical results of this study are presented focusing on Solo’s approach on managing informal settlements. The chapter starts with the description of Solo’s participatory planning approach, draws on its origins and assesses challenges and difficulties. Second, the issue of managing the informal sector that brought international recognition is briefly addressed. After these remarks, the focus is set on the main topic of this study: the city’s housing policies. Deep insights on four governmental housing programmes (social housing, slum-upgrading and resettlement measures), their structure, their procedures, involved actors and their outcomes are provided. In a final section the case of resettling 112 families within the city borders is addressed in detail. A critical evaluation reveals the general residents’ satisfaction and success of the participatory approach used, but mentions also remaining challenges and potentials for improvements.