Rapid urbanisation in the coastal wetlands of Denpasar, Bali, is intensifying pressure on soft, highly compressible soils and increasing the risk of land subsidence. Yet, geotechnical evidence directly linked to coastal planning decisions in this area remains limited. This study aims to characterise the physical properties of coastal wet soils and assess their subsidence vulnerability to support sustainable coastal planning in Denpasar. Surface soils were sampled at 50 cm depth from five representative land-use types: agricultural land, marshland, Mudflat, abandoned aquaculture ponds, and mangrove areas. Fifteen undisturbed samples were analysed for water content, bulk and dry unit weight, and grain-size distribution following national SNI standards. Fine fractions were further examined using hydrometer tests and classified according to the Unified Soil Classification System (USCS), while the relationship between water content and dry unit weight was evaluated using Pearson's correlation. Supplementary Cone Penetration Test (CPT) data from adjacent sites were used to place the shallow measurements in a broader subsurface context. The results show a strong inverse relationship between water content and dry unit weight, silt-dominated SM and SP–SM textures across sites, and CPT evidence of a thick, highly compressible soft layer, collectively indicating high subsidence susceptibility. These findings demonstrate that mangrove and marshland zones are intrinsically unsuitable for conventional development, whereas abandoned aquaculture areas are more favourable for development under proper geotechnical management. Overall, the study provides a site-specific geotechnical baseline that can be directly translated into zoning, risk mapping, and foundation-planning strategies for resilient coastal development in Denpasar.