The analysis of data from the Kampong Improvement project in the small and medium sized cities of central Java demonstrates that house upgrading is no longer the only measure of improved welfare for Kampong residents. The privatizing of previously public essential services like water supply and those of MCK facilities (bath, laundry, toilet) currently provide evidence of improved living standards. Kampong residents in larger cities did not exhibit more responsible attitudes toward maintenance than smaller‐city residents. Kampong location in relation to the city center, the city's economy and the socio‐economic characteristics of the population were more influential fact