The fading prominence of Pasar Santa in Kebayoran Baru is no longer viewed merely as a decline in visitor numbers, but also as a reflection of changes in the urban economic structure and the shifting landscape of creative spaces in South Jakarta. Once an icon of youth creative culture in the mid-2010s, Pasar Santa is now facing a very different phase. The lively atmosphere once associated with coffee communities, music, and independent creators has gradually been replaced by a quieter and more sporadic environment.
Amid these changes, economic researcher Adrian Nalendra Perwira from the GREAT Institute believes that Pasar Santa has not merely lost visitors, but has lost its unique position within Jakarta’s urban space map. He noted that the market reached its peak around 2014, when coffee communities, vinyl collectors, bookstores, and creative entrepreneurs transformed the market into both a hangout spot and a community space.
“Pasar Santa reached its peak around 2014 when coffee communities, vinyl, books, and creative business players entered and transformed the market space into both a hangout and community hub,” Adrian said.
However, according to him, that success itself became the beginning of new pressures. As popularity increased, rental prices also rose. This made it increasingly difficult for small tenants that had once formed the backbone of the creative ecosystem to survive.
Beyond rising costs, Adrian highlighted a more structural issue: the changing purchasing power of Indonesia’s middle class. He explained that the middle class plays a major role in sustaining consumption spaces such as Pasar Santa.
“Data from Statistics Indonesia shows that the middle class and aspiring middle class account for 66.35 percent of the population and contribute 81.49 percent of household consumption,” he stated.
However, he added that pressure on this group has become increasingly evident in recent years.
“The International Monetary Fund noted that the share of Indonesia’s middle class has declined since 2019. That means pressure on real consumption is indeed happening,” Adrian explained.
According to Adrian, consumer behavior has now shifted beyond simply buying goods or visiting places. It is increasingly about efficiency of experience.
People, he said, now prefer spaces that offer multiple functions within a single visit.
“People still shop and hang out, but they have become more selective and more sensitive to value for money,” he added.
He believes this shift has made places like Pasar Santa increasingly unable to compete with more integrated districts.
Blok M, for example, was mentioned as an area that has successfully utilized spatial consolidation more effectively. Adrian explained that Blok M is no longer just a single destination, but an integrated urban ecosystem.
Within it are various activity nodes such as M Bloc Space, Blok M Hub, Blok M Plaza, and Taman Literasi Martha Christina Tiahahu, all connected spatially and functionally.
“This is what is called an agglomeration economy. The more businesses clustered in one area, the greater the efficiency and attractiveness,” Adrian explained.
According to him, this creates a chain effect that strengthens visitor flows and extends visit duration.
Adrian also stressed that the success of Blok M is not determined solely by business actors, but also by the integration of public policy and infrastructure.
“The revitalization of Blok M Hub, the development of Taman Literasi, and transportation connectivity have made the area more accessible,” he said.
He argued that the combination of public and private sector involvement has become crucial in building sustainable urban spaces. In this context, Pasar Santa is seen as lacking comparable ecosystem support.
According to Adrian, one of Pasar Santa’s biggest problems is the loss of spatial differentiation. As other creative spaces emerged with more curated and integrated concepts, Pasar Santa gradually lost the uniqueness that once distinguished it.
“When a space no longer has differential advantages, it becomes difficult to maintain its position as a destination,” he stated.
He added that in modern urban contexts, competitiveness is no longer determined solely by products, but also by the experiences offered.
Adrian also observed shifts in youth consumption structures that have accelerated these changes. Young people today, according to him, are not merely looking for gathering places, but spaces that provide clear identity and social experiences.
This makes spaces that fail to renew their concepts easier to abandon.
In his view, Pasar Santa has become an example of how organically grown creative spaces can lose relevance when unable to adapt.
“When the pioneers leave, what disappears is not just tenants, but also the main magnet of the space,” Adrian said.
He emphasized that the Pasar Santa phenomenon should not be viewed solely as the failure of a space, but as part of the natural cycle of urban change.
“This is not simply about being crowded or quiet, but about how spaces adapt to economic and social changes,” he explained.
According to him, South Jakarta is currently experiencing a consolidation of economic and cultural activities toward integrated areas such as Blok M.
“What is happening now is the spatial concentration of youth economic and cultural activities into a more integrated district,” he added.
Struggling Amid Declining Visitors
Dennis (34), who has operated a homemade food business on the third floor of Pasar Santa since 2018, directly experienced the period when the upper floors were still crowded with young South Jakartans.
“Before 2020, things were still good. On weekends, daily revenue could reach IDR 1.5 million to IDR 2 million. On weekdays it was still around IDR 800,000 to IDR 1.2 million,” Dennis said.
Now, according to him, the best daily revenue is only around IDR 300,000 to IDR 600,000, and on very quiet days can fall to IDR 150,000 to IDR 200,000.
He believes changing youth hangout patterns are among the primary reasons for the decline.
“There are now many coffee shops outside that are more comfortable and easier to access without having to enter a market,” he explained.
Meanwhile, Fathan (31), who opened a coffee shop in Pasar Santa in 2016, described that period as the “golden era.”
“At that time, daily turnover could reach IDR 2 million to IDR 3 million, even more if there was an event,” he said.
Now, however, average revenue ranges between IDR 500,000 and IDR 1 million, sometimes lower during quiet weekdays.
Fathan believes one of the most important changes is the disappearance of tenant curation that once shaped Pasar Santa’s identity.
“Back then it was truly curated. Coffee, vinyl, thrift, zines. Now it’s mixed together, so people become confused about what this place actually is,” he said.
Despite this, he still believes the market has potential if serious and focused rebranding is carried out.
“If there’s a serious rebranding effort, it can still come back to life,” he added.
More Nostalgia Than a Main Destination
Hafiz (25), a creative worker, recently revisited Pasar Santa after a long absence.
“I used to come here often during college. Now I rarely visit, this is my first time back in a long while,” he said.
He described the visit as being driven more by curiosity and nostalgia.
“The content is still there. Coffee, vinyl, thrift shops. But it feels different now,” he said.
He compared the market to Blok M, which he believes now offers more open and socially vibrant spaces.
“In Blok M there are more open spaces, so it feels more alive. People can see and interact with each other,” Hafiz explained.
According to him, Pasar Santa now feels more like a stopover than a primary destination.
Losing Its Social Attraction
Sociologist Rakhmat Hidayat from Jakarta State University views the decline of Pasar Santa as part of broader social transformations in Jakarta’s urban spaces.
“Pasar Santa used to be known as a gathering place for young people and a space for creative expression. But now it is experiencing shifts in social and economic dynamics,” Rakhmat said.
He explained that in its early years, the market successfully built strong relationships between tenants and visitors.
“Initially there was closeness between the community and the space. That was what made Pasar Santa alive as a creative space,” he said.
However, he believes those strengths did not survive changing social trends.
“Young people today are more attracted to places that are easier to access, more complete, and more aligned with their social needs,” he explained.
Rakhmat also emphasized the importance of physical scale and integrated spaces.
“Larger spaces such as Blok M offer richer and more diverse social experiences,” he said.
In addition, he noted the decisive role of social media in determining whether urban spaces thrive or decline.
“Blok M benefits from strong network effects through virality and social media exposure. Pasar Santa did not receive the same level of exposure,” he concluded.
He ended by stressing that the sustainability of creative spaces depends heavily on their ability to adapt to social change.
“If not, they will be abandoned,” Rakhmat said.
This article was published by Kompas.com.
