Night Market Phenomena: Its Contribution to The Sustainability of Urban Space

• Main Authors: Atta Idrawani, Zaini, Bambang, Karsono, Nurakmal Abdullah, @ Goh Tuo Ho, Awang Hasim, Awang Sulong, Dona Rose, Amer Koesmeri
• Format: Article
• Language: English; English
• Published: UNIMAS Publisher, Universiti Malaysia Sarawak 2019
• Subjects: NA Architecture
• Online Access: http://ir.unimas.my/id/eprint/31443/1/Cover%20page%20Jan2019.pdf; http://ir.unimas.my/id/eprint/31443/2/Night%20Market%20Phenomena%20Its%20Contribution%20to%20The%20Sustainability%20of%20Urban%20Space.pdf; http://ir.unimas.my/id/eprint/31443/
• Institution: Universiti Malaysia Sarawak

Scientists identified 3 main elements of sustainable development, namely: economic sustainability, environmental sustainability and social sustainability. No doubt that it is difficult to intertwine harmoniously the anthropocentric among social and economic objectives with the ecocentric’s ecologic objectives. Likewise, sustainable development can be achieved through synthesis approach between economic, social and environment. Thus, these concepts will be the result of development which has 3 dimensions - economic, social and environmental. Each of these components has its level of priority. Given the urban context, the impact of activities either negative or positive towards the sustainability concomitantly related to consequences of development. By taking Malaysia and Thailand as a case study, this paper attempts to explore the night markets phenomena which has a positive impact on urban sustainability especially in small urban spaces. Harmonization of the economic, social and environment dimensions is continually formed after the economic recession of 1997. Economically, the night market traders can increase their incomes which derived from lower-middle economic class. Social interaction also occurs between merchants and buyers. Utilization of unused urban space as a ‘venue’ of night market evidently changed unused space into a place. The research was conducted in various urban areas of Malaysia and Thailand while one example of each country is discussed in this paper. This paper also delves into the issue of sustainability in the small urban space that has been developed by the urbanites to sustain their livelihood that slowly transform the unused urban space into a place.