A community effort to repair the ground beneath our feet
Ubud, Bali · jejakbali.com · Local crews · Community approval · Public record
Origin of the idea
A simple observation while walking Ubud's streets sparked this. The sidewalks here often cover deep drainage canals. Over time, many of the concrete covers break, collapse, or disappear entirely — leaving dangerous gaps, exposed rebar, unstable slabs, and open holes that pedestrians must navigate every day.
Locals and visitors encounter these hazards constantly. Many people have been injured. Instead of walking around them, a question emerged: what if we fixed them? Not as an institutional project. As a small community effort — repairing hazards one at a time, respectfully and collaboratively.
The marker
A footstep pressed into freshly repaired concrete — with a small compass at its center. Not a logo. A civic signature. Each mark says: someone noticed this was broken, and chose to fix it.
Over time, these marks accumulate into a quiet network across Ubud — a map that exists in the ground itself, readable only by those who pay attention while walking.
The name
Jejak Bali — "footprint of Bali" or "trace of Bali" in Bahasa Indonesia — carries the physical mark of the project at its center. A footstep pressed into repaired concrete. A trace left behind. The English subtitle, The Ubud Street Project, works for external communication; the Bahasa name carries the meaning.
Map hazards. Photo documentation. Prioritize by severity and daily foot traffic volume.
Phase 02
Permission
Banjar approval. Written consent from adjacent properties. Local liaison protocol established.
Phase 03
Repair
Local Balinese crew. Transparent cost per job. Before/after photo documentation at every site.
Phase 04
Mark
Footstep + compass pressed into wet concrete. Brass plate placed beside the repair if appropriate.
Phase 05
Record
Public repair log updated: location, date, approval holder, crew, cost. Transparency as the trust mechanism.
Phase 06
Walk
Occasional informal walks past repaired locations for interested community members. Not tours. Just walks.
Governance & permissions framework
Banjar / Desa Adat
Village council approval required for repairs in communal pedestrian areas. Written acknowledgment — not just verbal — before any work begins. Community relationships are the project's most valuable asset at this layer.
Adjacent consent
Shops, homes, and warung directly abutting the repair site sign a simple one-page consent form. Low legal complexity — documented agreement. Stored in the repair log for each site.
Kabupaten Gianyar
For repairs on regency-managed infrastructure: a letter of notification sent to the relevant dinas (not a permission request). Low risk while scope stays small and locally supported.
Legal structure
Remain outside formal NGO or yayasan structure as long as possible. A loose community effort stays nimble and authentic. Formalize only if funding scale demands it — and even then, minimally.
Liability
Repairs should restore concrete to a standard equal to or better than original. Photo evidence before and after. Consult a local contractor on any structural questions before work begins.
Cost per repair — estimated
Materials
~230k
IDR
Labour
~525k
IDR
Brass plate
~180k
IDR per plate
Per repair
~$55
USD approx
Estimates only — verify with local crews before publishing. +50% buffer applied over baseline. Transparency about actual costs is how trust is built with the community and with any supporters who contribute.
The brass plate & QR destination
STAY CURIOUS
What the scan leads to
The QR code should earn its scan. Not a landing page about the project — but something that deepens the experience of that specific place. The repair log: a public record of every hazard fixed, who approved it, who did the work, what it cost.
The plate belongs to Ubud. The project is just the mechanism. A phrase like "Stay Curious" or "Jejak Bali" engraved beside the code — nothing that claims ownership. Something that invites the next walk.
Public repair log — concept
This is what the QR code leads to — and what gets embedded on the project's public page. A live, transparent record of every repair: location, cost, crew, approval. The log itself is the accountability mechanism. No fundraising copy. No mission statement. Just the work, documented.
Repair Log
Jejak Bali · The Ubud Street Project · Public record
7
Repairs
6
Banjar zones
$385
Total cost
001
Jalan Raya Ubud — near Pura Taman Kemuda
Collapsed drainage cover, 60×40cm gap, open rebar. High pedestrian traffic. First repair — proof of concept.
Date 12 Jan 2026
Crew Wayan & team · 3 people
Approved by Banjar Ubud Kaja
Rp 935,000
Complete
002
Monkey Forest Road — south end, near Nomad
Three broken slabs over canal. Unstable under foot. Replaced with reinforced concrete. Footstep mark placed.
Date 28 Jan 2026
Crew Made Wirya · 2 people
Approved by adjacent warung + Banjar
Rp 875,000
Complete
003
Jalan Hanoman — between Kafe and Soma
Single missing cover, deep canal exposure. Night hazard. Quick repair, less than 2 hours on site.
Two adjacent covers fractured. One fully missing. Heavy tourist foot traffic. Consent from hotel and adjacent villa.
Date 1 Mar 2026
Crew Made Wirya · 3 people
Approved by Banjar Taman + property consent
Rp 1,540,000
Complete
006
Jalan Sugriwa — near Ubud Palace north wall
Partially collapsed slab above active canal. Ceremonial route — coordination with pura caretaker required and completed.
Scheduled 22 Mar 2026
Crew Wayan & team · 3 people
Approved by Banjar Ubud + pura caretaker
Rp 940,000
Approved
007
Jalan Raya Pengosekan — near Komaneka junction
Three broken covers reported by local resident. Site assessment complete. Awaiting banjar meeting for sign-off.
Identified 8 Mar 2026
Reported by local resident
Status awaiting approval
est. Rp 1,350,000
Pending
The marks accumulate. Over time, someone walking a route they've walked a hundred times begins to notice a pattern — not a campaign, not a brand — a quiet record of people who paid attention.
About this project▼
Jejak Bali began with a walk. Noticing the same broken drainage covers, the same exposed rebar, the same gaps that locals stepped around and visitors stumbled into — and asking whether a small group of people could simply fix them, quietly and without ceremony.
The project was initiated by two people living and working in Ubud, in collaboration with the Balinese community members whose knowledge, relationships, and labour make each repair possible. It is not a charity, an NGO, or a brand initiative. It is a community effort with a transparent record.
Every repair is approved by the local banjar before work begins. Every cost is documented and published here. The footstep mark in the concrete belongs to the street — not to anyone who funded it.