Sidewalks As Contested Space: Spatial Analysis of Walkability and Street Vendor Occupation Patterns in The Central Business District of Medan City

Abstract

Sidewalks in the city centers of developing countries frequently become arenas of spatial contestation between walkability principles and informal street vendor (pedagang kaki lima/PKL) activities. However, academic studies that address this phenomenon through a spatial typology lens within the discipline of architecture and urban design remain limited, particularly in Medan City. This study aims to examine the spatial typology of sidewalks in central Medan, analyze the spatial occupation patterns of street vendors as a phenomenon of space production, and formulate inclusive design principles based on a synthesis of precedents from other cities. The research employs a descriptive-evaluative qualitative approach through precedent analysis and literature review, drawing on secondary data comprising Medan City’s zoning regulation (Regional Regulation No. 5/2022), technical standards from Ministerial Regulation PUPR No. 03/PRT/M/2014, and international and national journal articles published between 2021 and 2026. The analysis applies walkability frameworks (Speck; Gehl; Whyte) and Lefebvre’s production of space theory, reinforced by contemporary studies on counter-space. Findings reveal that the spatial typology of sidewalks in Medan is spectral in nature, encompassing both frontage-based occupation and main-circulation-path occupation, each requiring distinct design strategies. A synthesis of precedents from Hanoi, Bandung, Yogyakarta, and Palopo yields four spatial solution typologies – targeted relocation, micro-spatial demarcation, flexible time-based zoning, and partial shared space – which can be differentially adapted according to the spatial character of each corridor segment. This study contributes to the discipline of architecture and urban design by offering a conceptual framework previously absent from the existing literature on street vendors in Medan City, while recommending that spatial zoning policies be integrated with inclusive design principles that account for vendors’ spatial-economic attachment and universal accessibility for persons with disabilities.