Abstract
Rapid urbanization and population growth in Indonesian cities have increased pressure on riparian lands. In the city of Yogyakarta, this trend has long characterized the riparian zone of the Code River, prompting the city government to develop the Terban Madani row-house complex as part of a slum upgrading program in Terban Kota Village, Gondokusuman District. This study analyzes the compliance of land use in the Terban Madani area with the 2021–2041 Yogyakarta City Detailed Spatial Plan (RDTR) and identifies the factors driving development in the area. A mixed-methods design combined GIS overlays of land-use data, slope, soil type, and RDTR zoning with qualitative descriptive analysis of semi-structured interviews across six categories of informants, processed using the Miles and Huberman interactive model. The results show that spatial utilization is fully consistent with the administrative zoning guidelines of the RDTR; however, this location is situated on a riverbank slope exceeding 45%, is dominated by Regosol soil, and lies within an earthquake-prone zone with physical conditions outside the scope of the zoning—representing a different dimension of compliance that requires geotechnical protection even though it formally complies with regulations. Development is driven by three interrelated factors: the government’s in-situ land consolidation approach to upgrade slum areas, land scarcity that limits relocation options, and the residents’ long-term socioeconomic dependence on the area’s strategic location. These findings indicate that formal compliance with spatial plans alone does not guarantee physical safety or long-term sustainability, underscoring the need for continuous monitoring, densification control, and hazard mitigation in Terban Madani and similar riparian settlements in Indonesia