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View all search resultsBlok M’s rise as hip hub leaves small traders behind
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Priced out: A newspaper vendor sells in front of a closed stall at District Blok M, South Jakarta, on Sept. 3, 2025. Several renters have left the location due to rent increases reaching Rp 15 million (US$907) per month. (Antara/Ika Maryani)
B
lok M, once a haven for small traders and bargain hunters, is fast becoming a symbol of Jakarta’s gentrification, where its revival as a trendy transit-oriented hub has fueled soaring rents and forced long-time vendors out.
For decades, the South Jakarta shopping district thrived as a place where micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) sold affordable goods and services, drawing loyal customers from across the city.
But in recent years, Blok M has been at the center of the capital’s transit-oriented development (TOD) program, with a mass rapid transit (MRT) station and new leisure spots transforming the area into a fashionable destination for middle-class youth.
The makeover has drawn viral cafes, fashion chains and lifestyle brands, bringing a new vibrancy to the neighborhood. Behind the polished facade, however, many small traders are struggling to keep up.
At Blok M Hub, a TOD site run by city-owned PT MRT Jakarta, dozens of rented stalls now sit empty as vendors are unable to afford rental hikes. A single stall is officially priced between Rp 300,000 (US$18) and Rp 1.5 million per month, but some traders reported paying several times more.
Read also: Blok M to become Jakarta’s economic hub that ‘never sleeps’
PT MRT Jakarta acting corporate secretary head Ahmad Pratomo said the rental price was set by Kopema, the vendor cooperative managing the stalls.
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