Space Compatibility Based on Spatial Behavior of Street Vendors in Urban Public Space in Chinatown, Semarang

Abstract

Street vendors grow rapidly in Asian developing countries, including in Indonesia. They grow massive and uncontrolled in the urban public spaces, causing loses on the public spaces’ main function. Furthermore, waste from the street vendors’ activities causes environmental degradation and urban aesthetic reduction. Eviction and relocation are usually done by the government to overcome the problems. The government evicted and moved the street vendors to another place as planned. Street vendors’ relocation often did not succeed because they always return to their original places. The indication is the street vendors felt uncomfortable in the new location or the new location was incompatible with their activities. Until now, the government has not been able to provide the proper location for the street vendors. The study of compatible space for the street vendors is an urgent matter because the study of the street vendors which have been done so far was more focused on aspects of social, economic and political/policies. This study aims to identify space compatibility based on the spatial behavior of street vendors at their activity's location. This research used the descriptive quantitative method with questionnaires and Geographic Information System (GIS) as a tool to map the street vendors’ location. The results showed the compatibility space of street vendors based on the type of neighborhood activity, type of activity around public spaces, neighborhood activity time, numbers of visitors, visitor movement patterns (flow of visitors and visitor activities) and spatial patterns.