Accommodating the informal economy in public space: The intricate political and spatial arrangements at an Indonesian street market

Abstract

The immense wave of urbanization and the limited formal job opportunities available in large Asian cities have led to the proliferation of street vending activities, which are often controversial and sometimes illegal due to their occupation of public space. The Kutek Sunday Market in Depok municipality, Indonesia was forced to move from a busy university location to a relatively secluded residential neighbourhood. Despite this disadvantage, the market has continued to attract sizeable business. This case study, based on extensive field observation and interviews, describes how the market location was selected and how it is spatially arranged to meet the needs of vendors, residents, and shoppers. The paper shows how local residents and vendors creatively developed an open-ended, self-organized system to manage the complex tasks involved in operating the market and to adapt to fluctuations in the number and characteristics of vendors and shoppers. Although the system is highly praised as an effective tool for informal economy survivability, its limited planning capacity requires cooperation with other parties to overcome unanticipated challenges. Cooperation among stakeholders has maximized the benefits and minimized the drawbacks of informal economic activities in a public space.