Reclaiming the street for pedestrians as a sustainable city approach

Sustainable infrastructure has become a new trend that is encouraged in cities around the world. With the increasing population growth of large cities, such as Jakarta, the land use structure has been changing. The traffic management initiated by the provincial government, what we call "traffic evaporation," is an attempt to reduce the congestion in Tanah Abang and polluted air from the predominance of cars in streets. Jatibaru Street has become a meeting space for diverse actors/users, including pedestrians from/to Tanah Abang Transit Station, hawkers, and microbuses (mikrolet). The traffic management approach used in Jatibaru can give insight into promoting the street as a public space to fulfil the vision of a livable city and future sustainability in Jakarta. The movement of goods, people, and vehicles gives meaning and purpose to the street as a space of cooperation between users. The aim of this paper is investigating the user response after the "traffic evaporation" approach was implemented and considering traffic management in Tanah Abang by observing the mapping of movement and spatial pattern of users. The focus of observation comprises pedestrians, mikrolet, hawkers. Through spatial ethnography, an emic approach, and space-time mapping, this study considers spatial user practices related to the meaning and function of space in Jatibaru Street.