Rapid urbanization in Indonesia has increased slum expansion, making it difficult to achieve inclusive, safe, and sustainable urban development. This study investigates the use of Vertical Land Consolidation in Tanah Tinggi Village, Jakarta, as a pioneering slum upgrading approach. Vertical Land Consolidation, which takes a participatory and collaborative strategy, stresses community involvement, public-private partnerships, and regulatory compliance to address housing shortages. The program received 100% community consent, above the minimum 60%, and used Corporate Social Responsibility funds to provide multi-story housing with contemporary infrastructure, thereby improving living circumstances for low-income inhabitants. A comparison with Pontianak’s horizontal housing project demonstrates the applicability of land consolidation strategies to different urban environments. While Jakarta’s Vertical Land Consolidation optimizes land utilization in densely crowded places, Pontianak’s horizontal model, which is backed by government money, shows promise for regions with available land. Land title disputes, funding sustainability, and community resistance were addressed via legal frameworks, socialization activities, and stakeholder collaboration. This study highlights Vertical Land Consolidation’s compatibility with Sustainable Development Goal 11 (SDG-11), which promotes equitable and resilient urban ecosystems. It also argues for scalable frameworks that incorporate social fairness, environmental sustainability, and inclusive governance, ensuring that slum upgrading projects have a long-term impact across varied urban environments. © The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2025.