A City Realigning its Breath

Morning at a corner of the Intermoda Joyoboyo Terminal in Surabaya, East Java, reveals a city striving to instil discipline. On one side, a no-smoking sign stands firm in bright colours. Meanwhile, the flow of people moving from bus to ride-hailing vehicles leaves small gaps where people pause briefly, some clinging to old habits that are hard to part from the rhythm of urban life. A big city like Surabaya is not only building physical infrastructure but is also testing the social discipline of its citizens through the Smoke-Free Zone (KTR).

Surabaya is at a pivotal point. The city has been shortlisted as a national exemplar for Smoke-Free Zones. Assessments by the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Ministry of Health signal that policies long in place are being tested for their consistency. Behind these assessments lies a deeper question about how far regulation can change habits, and to what extent public spaces are truly free of the unseen smoke whose effects are felt.

City rules

Surabaya did not start from scratch. Its legal basis has been established through Regional Regulation No. 2 of 2019 on Smoke-Free Zones, and technical rules reinforced by mayoral regulations. Within this framework, zones such as health facilities, schools, places of worship, public transport, offices, and public spaces are designated as smoking-free zones.

Administratively, the structure looks orderly. Regular monitoring is undertaken, including periodic evaluations by the health department and field task forces. In several monitoring reports, compliance is described as increasing, and at some points of monitoring no violations were recorded. This data shows that, institutionally, Surabaya has built a system that keeps operating.

Surabaya’s status as a city with a high level of compliance also reinforces that image. In the Health Ministry’s Smoke-Free Zone dashboard, the city sits among the top nationally. Moreover, the smoke-free neighbourhoods that have reached parts of the city demonstrate that a community-based approach is being built, not merely a legal one.

However, strong regulation does not always translate to uniform behavioural change. Here the city’s mirror begins to show another side. When rules exist, the next challenge is to ensure they breathe in a dynamic social space, not merely in policy documents.

Challenges

Behind the administrative achievements, Surabaya’s Smoke-Free Zone faces challenges more complex than mere signs. One issue emerging is a change in the form of tobacco consumption itself. Electronic cigarettes or vapes have become an area of ambiguity not fully addressed by the older regulations. This gap creates room for interpretation on the ground, for both users and inspectors.