Urban and Regional Development Institute

What Urban and Regional Development Institute does

Urban and Regional Development Institute (URDI) is an independent not-for-profit research organization established in November 1995 by the Yayasan Pengembangan Perkotaan dan Daerah (URDI Foundation) and headquartered in South Jakarta, Indonesia. The organization operates three core service lines: Research & Policy Analysis (client-based and self-initiated research, studies, policy analysis, and advisory services), Training & Capacity Building (programs in generic and customized formats covering local governance, urban management, environmental management, and community development), and Forum & Publication (seminars, conferences, books, and knowledge exchange platforms). URDI's mission is to bridge gaps between well-intentioned policies and poorly implemented actions in Indonesian urban and regional development. The organization operates with a small core team of 17 employees and an extensive network of associates across local, national, and international levels, functioning as a community-led think tank rather than a technology product company.

URDI serves primarily local and regional governments in Indonesia, with documented engagements including the Government of Papua Province, Malang Regency, and various Kalimantan and West Papua districts. It also engages development practitioners, NGOs, and academics through its training and publication programs. The organization's revenue model is professional services-based, funded through government contracts, international donor grants (notably Norway's NICFI/Norad for the Permata REDD+ project), and partnership-driven projects (e.g., Hitachi Group corporate training via Asia Infrastructure Corporation, ESA-funded IDEAtlas with University of Twente). URDI maintains no proprietary technology platform; its intellectual property consists of publications, research reports, training curricula, and its network of associations. Strategic direction is set by a Foundation governance structure with a Management Board, and the organization has been led by Executive Director Bayu Wirawan following the 2018 transition.

Name

Urban and Regional Development Institute

Legal name

Urban and Regional Development Institute (URDI)

Website

https://urdi.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1995

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

URDI is an independent Indonesian not-for-profit research organization founded in 1995 that delivers policy research, training, and publications on urban and regional development, primarily serving local and regional governments.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Jakarta Selatan

HQ country

Indonesia

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Research & Policy Analysis Services: Client-based and self-initiated research, studies, and policy analysis; technical assistance for particular cases and parties; advisory services for urban and regional development.
2. Training & Capacity Building Programs: Training programs in generic and customized formats covering local governance, urban management, environmental management, and community development.
3. Publication & Knowledge Exchange: Publication of books, reports, and knowledge materials for exchange of knowledge among development stakeholders.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

URDI is an independent not-for-profit research organization that provides Research & Policy Analysis, Training & Capacity Building, and Forum & Publication services to support sustainable urban and regional development in Indonesia. Engagements include client-based and self-initiated research studies, policy analysis and advisory work, technical assistance, and both generic and customized training programs on local governance, urban management, environmental management, smart governance and climate change, supplemented by knowledge-exchange forums, seminars, and a publication/library program.

Product overview

URDI is an independent not-for-profit research organization that offers three core service lines: Research & Policy Analysis, Training & Capacity Building, and Forum & Publication. The organization conducts client-based and self-initiated research on urban and regional development issues, delivers training programs (both generic and customized formats) on topics including smart governance, climate change, and community development, and facilitates knowledge exchange through publications, seminars, conferences, and its online library. URDI's product portfolio consists primarily of service offerings rather than software products, supplemented by published books and research reports.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Research & Policy Analysis
• Training & Capacity Building
• Forum & Publication
• Buku Perjalanan Penataan Ruang Ibukota Jakarta 1965-2012 Book documenting the spatial transformation of Jakarta from 1965-2012, examining how policies, plans, and urban planning practices shaped the capital city.
• Buku Profil Derajat Urbanisasi Kota-Kota di Indonesia Book presenting comprehensive analysis of urbanization dynamics across Indonesian regions through demographic, economic, environmental, and infrastructure data analysis.
• Buku Bunga Rampai Perumahan Swadaya di Indonesia Anthology of ideas and experiences highlighting community-driven self-help housing in Indonesia, presenting concepts, policies, and practical examples of participatory housing development.
• Kota Untuk Semua: Hunian yang Selaras dengan SDGs dan New Urban Agenda Book examining urban development aligned with Sustainable Development Goals and the New Urban Agenda, focusing on inclusive housing and urban planning.
• Training on Smart Governance and Climate Change (Online Self-Guided Course) Online self-guided training course co-created with CityNet on collaborative and smart governance strategies for climate change, using the Actor Relational Approach (ARA) method.
• Live Online Training on Collaborative Smart Governance Three-day live online training conducted with CityNet to build stakeholder capacity in collaborative and smart governance for urban development.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 20 years of continuous operation since 1995 supporting sustainable urban and regional development in Indonesia

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

17 partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• The Samdhana InstitutecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLead of the Permata consortium (Perluasan Hak Masyarakat, Inovasi Mata Pencaharian & REDD+ di Indonesia) working to support indigenous communities in sustainable forest management. URDI collaborates on community rights, sustainable livelihoods, and environmental conservation across 6 Indonesian districts in Papua, Kalimantan Barat, and Kalimantan Utara.
• Badan Registrasi Wilayah Adat (BRWA)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerConsortium member in the Permata project focused on indigenous community land rights recognition and mapping in Indonesia.
• Yayasan Kitong BisamajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerConsortium member in the Permata project, contributing to indigenous community empowerment and sustainable development in Indonesia.
• Perkumpulan Kaoem TelapakminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerConsortium member in Permata project focusing on community rights and environmental conservation.
• Perempuan AmanminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerConsortium member in Permata project with focus on women's rights in indigenous community development.
• Rain Forest Norway (RFN)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerConsortium member in Permata project, supporting forest conservation and indigenous community rights in Indonesia.
• Indonesian International Education Foundation (IIEF)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to conduct study on sub-national government jurisdictional capacity for Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) achievement. Study cases included Kulon Progo, Banyuwangi, and Banjarmasin.
• CityNetmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerURDI co-created online training course with CityNet on collaborative and smart governance strategies for climate change. Training designed to increase urban stakeholders' contextual understanding of smart city issues and climate governance.
• Asia Infrastructure Corporation (AIC)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerConducted Infrastructure Immersion Program for Japanese companies (Hitachi Group) to understand infrastructure development needs in Asian countries. Program covered energy, disaster management, waste management, and community empowerment across Indonesia.
• Connective Cities - GIZmajorGTM or Marketing PartnerSupported Connective Cities workshop on 'Towards Green Cities in Asia: Managing Urban Sprawl' hosted by Surabaya. Event connected urban practitioners from 10 cities across Asia for peer-to-peer learning on urban management.
• Abt AssociatesmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated on Strategic Environment Assessment (SEA) for Millennium Challenge Corporation's Green Prosperity Project in Indonesia, covering districts in Jambi and West Sulawesi provinces.
• Samdhana InstitutecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-term partnership on multiple projects including waste management education in Tambrauw, conservation development, and the Permata project for indigenous community rights.
• Alliance to End Plastic Waste (AEPW)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in Program Bersih Indonesia initiated by Coordinating Ministry for Maritime and Investment Affairs, aiming to achieve national waste management targets through comprehensive waste systems.
• University of Twente (ITC Faculty)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerURDI serves as co-anchor in IDEAtlas project funded by ESA, implementing AI-based methods for informal settlement mapping. URDI organizes Jakarta Living Labs and coordinates with local and national government stakeholders for SDG 11.1.1 monitoring.
• Bank Sampah Sorong Raya (BSSR)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in community-based waste management education in Tambrauw district, Papua Barat, providing expertise on waste bank systems and waste management training.
• IDEAMAPS / SLUMAP ProjectsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with ongoing projects building on previous work in informal settlement mapping and AI-based earth observation methods.
• Pemerintahan Provinsi PapuamajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGovernment partner for Bimbingan Teknis Penyusunan KLHS RPJMD Se-Provinsi Papua Tahun 2025, collaborating on environmental assessment documentation for regional development planning.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights7 records

Emerging players

• C40 Cities: C40 Cities is a global network of mayors addressing climate change and urban sustainability. It is an adjacent player to URDI through its focus on climate governance and city-level capacity, including in Indonesian C40 member cities.
• Mercy Corps Indonesia: Mercy Corps Indonesia is a humanitarian and development NGO working on resilience, governance, and climate adaptation. It is an adjacent peer to URDI through shared donor ecosystems, community-based programming, and Indonesian decentralization work.

Broad incumbents

• The Asia Foundation: The Asia Foundation is a large international development organization working across Asia on governance, inclusive development, and urbanization. It overlaps with URDI as a donor-funded implementer of capacity building and policy research in Indonesia.
• GIZ Indonesia: GIZ is Germany's federal development agency with a large Indonesia portfolio on urban governance, climate, and decentralization. URDI has worked with GIZ on Connective Cities, and they overlap as capacity-building providers to Indonesian local governments.
• CIFOR-ICRAF: CIFOR-ICRAF is a major international research organization headquartered in Bogor, Indonesia, focused on forests, landscapes, and climate. It is comparable to URDI through its Indonesia-based research presence and overlapping work on REDD+, indigenous land rights, and sub-national governance.

Others

• UNDP Indonesia: UNDP Indonesia is the UN's primary development partner for Indonesia, working on governance, climate, and SDG localization. It is ecosystem-adjacent to URDI through shared SDG and capacity-building agendas, though as a UN agency rather than an independent local think tank.

Direct peers

• IIED (International Institute for Environment and Development): IIED is an independent international research organization working on sustainable urban development, climate, and inclusive urbanization in low- and middle-income countries. Its thematic focus on urban governance and climate resilience closely mirrors URDI's mandate.
• WRI Indonesia: WRI Indonesia is the Indonesian arm of the World Resources Institute, conducting research and policy engagement on sustainable cities, climate, and land use. It directly competes with URDI for donor-funded Indonesian urban development and environmental policy research contracts.
• SMERU Research Institute: SMERU is an Indonesian social research institute producing evidence-based analysis on poverty, social policy, and decentralization. It is comparable to URDI as a Jakarta-based, Indonesian-focused research organization serving government and international donor clients with policy analysis.
• AKATIGA Centre for Social Analysis: AKATIGA is an independent Indonesian policy research organization focused on social and economic policy at the local level. Like URDI, it serves government and civil society clients with research and capacity building, and operates from Bandung/Jakarta.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/urdi_indonesia
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCkrYrdkza5J5LhYNd3u7bSA
• Facebookfacebook.com/urdi.indonesia
• Instagraminstagram.com/urdi.indonesia
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/urban-and-regional-development-institute

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Urban and Regional Development Institute