The Arrangement of Street Vendors In Bandung, Indonesia

Abstract

The arrangement of street vendors in Indonesian cities has yet to find an ideal pattern that can be applied universally across the country. However, the success of street vendor management in one place cannot be replicated in another area. This article presents the analysis of the supervision of street vendors populating Merdeka Street and Cihampelas Street in Bandung, Indonesia, using the best-practice approach. The latter includes the dimensions of impact, partnership, sustainability, leadership and community empowerment, and innovation within local context and transferability. This study uses a qualitative methodology, including research interviews and questionnaires. Interviews were conducted with street vendors and the task unit of street vendors. Questionnaires were distributed to 50 buyers and 50 other community members. So far, street vendors view regulations and rearrangement as decreasing their business opportunities and they prefer to return to informal arrangements. Regulation policies have not been implemented in a sustainable way, and no long-term road map has ever been produced. Moreover, street vendors have not been involved in the planning, action, and post-arrangement stages, raising resentment, dissatisfaction, and distrust among citizens. We conclude that decision-­making on the street vendoring arrangements should go beyond the cost-benefit analysis of street vendors’ profit after the rearrangement of their placements. Rather it should involve the whole scope of social, economic, and public aspects and considerations with the involvement of affected citizens, albeit under the supervision of state actors.