Results in resilience: Advancing resilient housing in Indonesia
Over much of the past decade, Indonesia has made great strides in making housing more affordable and accessible through its Satu Juta Rumah (One Million Homes) program. Yet in a country that is one of the most disaster-prone in the world, far too much of the housing stock remains highly exposed and vulnerable to natural hazards and climate change.
Eyeing a sustainable future for cities and communities in which its citizens can live, work, and thrive, the government of Indonesia recognizes that resilient housing will be critical to realizing that vision. Under the auspices of the Japan– World Bank Program for Mainstreaming Disaster Risk Management in Developing Countries, GFDRR has provided financial and technical support to the Indonesian government toward its efforts to advance resilient housing in Indonesia, with a particular emphasis on the subsidized housing sector.
A key focus of the efforts thus far has been support toward the implementation of quality assurance and quality control (QAQC) for subsidized housing. The World Bank, through the National Affordable Housing Program (NAHP), has collaborated with the Indonesian government in putting into practice a sustainable QAQC system. This system has been utilized to ensure that subsidized housing under the Bantuan Pembiayaan Perumahan Berbasis Tabungan (BP2BT) and Bantuan Stimulan Perumahan Swadaya (BSPS) programs meet minimum construction standards and provide safe and resilient homes for beneficiaries.
In conjunction with these efforts, the technical team has also supported the development of training activities for Indonesian government officials; these activities are designed to strengthen the implementation of the QAQC system for subsidized housing. Each year, field facilitators are trained in a range of critical areas including construction quality, rapid assessment strategies, and effective photo-taking for assessment purposes.
The team has also enabled the production of ready templates that officials and third-party facilitators can use in undertaking QAQC, including forms for assessing the structural integrity of both developer-built and self-built housing units.
In line with GFDRR’s commitment to Inclusive Disaster Risk Management and Gender Equality, the team has also been providing training to officials and facilitators to better engage with female beneficiaries in QAQC—with the goal of empowering all beneficiaries, including female household members, to be part of the home improvement and construction process. Looking ahead, a social media campaign will be rolled out to disseminate practical tips for how beneficiaries can help ensure the safety and resilience of their homes.
Lesson Learned
In the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, physical monitoring for the QAQC program was curtailed, requiring that teams be inventive and innovative. A simple system of virtual monitoring was established in which teams worked closely with on-the ground facilitators. This system enabled the monitoring to be pre-recorded to show detailed structural components of the housing unit.