Art Spaces and Urban Gentrification in Yogyakarta: Protecting Local Artists and Cultural Communities from Displacement

Abstract

The development of galleries, creative spaces, cafés, studios, and cultural districts has contributed to Yogyakarta's reputation as an important Indonesian art center. However, cultural-led urban development can also increase land values, rental costs, and commercial pressure on neighborhoods where artists and cultural communities have historically operated. This article examines the relationship between art-led development and displacement in Yogyakarta. Using normative juridical and socio-legal analysis, the study evaluates urban planning, cultural policy, land use, housing, and protection of cultural communities. The article argues that cultural development policies may unintentionally contribute to gentrification when the economic value generated by artistic activities is captured primarily by property owners and commercial investors. Local artists may subsequently face rising studio rents and reduced access to affordable cultural spaces. The study proposes an art justice framework incorporating affordable cultural-space policies, artist residency protection, community participation, cultural zoning, and safeguards against displacement. Art policy should therefore be evaluated not only according to the number of creative industries or cultural events generated but also according to whether artists can continue to live and work within the communities they help develop. The research highlights the need to integrate cultural policy with urban justice and affordable-space strategies in Yogyakarta.