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Is Jl. Cihapit’s newfound trendiness another case of gentrification?
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Noodling on: Bakmi Tjo-Kin opened on Jl. Cihapit not long after Grammars. The shop is located on the corner that Anton calls “the fault line” that divides Jl. Cihapit in two. (JP/Anindito Ariwandono) (JP/Anindito Ariwandono)
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em>As the iconic traditional market and its surroundings in Bandung face a surge of tourists in search of a hip scene, concerns have been raised about gentrification and shifting demography.
In the not-so-distant past, few people in Bandung would have thought of spending leisure time on Jl. Cihapit after sundown. Aside from small warung (kiosks), there was barely anything left to do after the traditional market at its center closed for the day.
Recently, however, the area has found new fame as a center of hipness. With many visitors posting images of their time in the area on social media, the neighborhood’s face has become younger. Creative businesses and communities sharing the same ideals and aesthetic sensibilities started moving into the area, turning it into one of Bandung’s trendiest areas.
With relatively walkable areas consisting of a mix of old, heritage businesses and new ones, Jl. Cihapit is a neighborhood that resembles a miniature city. Its sustainability, however, is often questioned by Bandung’s creative communities and even those who have built new, successful businesses there. The question is whether its current form is at odds with the neighborhood’s preexisting socioeconomic structure.
Graveyard shift
“Keu’eung, Mas [eerily quiet, brother],” said Anton, the proprietor of Trikuto, a coffee shop on Jl Cihapit, regarding how the situation there used to be after peak morning time. He used a Sundanese word.
