Identifying the sustainability level of urban slums in the Greater Jakarta, Indonesia using a composite index

Abstract

The Republic of Indonesia’s government aims to alleviate slums to mark the start of smart city development. The goals of KotaKu, a national program established to handle slum issues, are 100% access to sanitation and clean water and the reduction of slum areas to zero, which aligns with the nation’s commitment to Sustainable Development Goals to tackle climate change and its impacts. Slum identification and intervention are undertaken through the government’s emphasis on the settlement’s environment, resulting in the wrongful judgment of an area as a slum or vice versa. This study is conducted in four urban slums or kampungs located in the Greater Jakarta area (i.e. Kampung Cikini, Kampung Gedong Pompa, Kampung Cimone-Cincau, and Kampung Markisa). Each area’s sustainability level was calculated using a composite index that used indicators to represent the three pillars of sustainability, i.e., social, economy, and environment. Kampung Cimone-Cincau had the best sustainability (0.75), while Kampung Gedong Pompa had the worst (0.52). Across all the study areas, access to sanitation reached 97% and, access to clean water reached 98%. More thorough indicators to identify slum sustainability can help resolve an area’s wrongful judgment, and a more suitable approach for slum intervention can be made.