Street Vendor Relocation Must Prioritise Business Continuity, Not Just Ceremonial Evictions

Urban spatial planning is an unavoidable necessity in creating orderly, comfortable, and sustainable environments. However, the enforcement, relocation, or eviction of street vendors (PKL) and micro, small, and medium enterprises (UMKM) must be carried out with a humane approach that guarantees the continuity of the community’s economy. Practices are still found where relocation focuses solely on physically moving traders from one location to another without a clear strategy to maintain their customer base and business activities. As a result, many PKL and UMKM experience a decline in turnover and are even forced to close their businesses after being relocated. Radea Respati argues that regional governments need to develop a more comprehensive relocation procedure. One simple yet impactful step is mandating the installation of information boards or notices at the old location, explaining that the traders have moved and providing the new address, contact number, and social media details. This information should be displayed for a certain period so that customers can still find the traders they previously patronised. Furthermore, the use of digital media and official government social media channels should be leveraged to help disseminate information about the traders’ new locations. Relocation should not end with the physical moving process but must ensure the sustainability of the affected community’s businesses. Radea also criticises the frequent practice where evictions or relocations conclude merely with the distribution of compensation money to traders, followed by massive publicity on social media as if all problems have been resolved. Such an approach does not address the root of the issue. The needs of PKL and UMKM are not just temporary aid, but guarantees of business continuity, access to customers, certainty of trading locations, and post-relocation assistance. Providing financial compensation without a sustainability plan only offers a short-term solution that fails to resolve the community’s economic problems. Good urban planning must strike a balance between the interests of public space order and the protection of citizens’ livelihoods. The government must not only move traders but also ensure they can survive, thrive, and continue contributing to the regional economy.