Eka Darma Kusuma
Doctor of Philosophy candidate
Urban design
Biography
Eka is a PhD candidate at the Melbourne School of Design and a recipient of the Indonesian Endowment Fund for Education (LPDP) scholarship. He holds a Bachelor's and Master's degree in Urban and Regional Planning from Bandung Institute of Technology. Before his studies, he worked as a research associate in the Urban Planning and Design Research Group at the School of Planning, Architecture, and Design (SAPPD) ITB and the RuangWaktu Knowledge Hub. He has 5 years of experience as a teaching assistant for Urban Planning and Urban Design courses and studios, and he was involved in various urban planning projects over the last 9 years. His research interests are primarily focused on walkability, pedestrian urbanism, and relationships between people and the built environment.
Thesis
Walking vs Vending? : Exploring Relationships Between Informal Street Vending and Urban Walkability
Walking has continued to persist as one of the leading transport modes within major global south cities, even within environments with minimal support. Sidewalks often compete with various other uses, street vending being one of them. This coexistence creates synergies and conflicts within the sidewalk and frequently ends up being interpreted as a problem that needs to be eradicated by the government. Yet there are currently gaps in studies about them and how they affect the walking dynamics in the city. c This research aims to unravel these interactions between vendors and pedestrians. This research will explore the patterns of interactions to understand the dynamics of pedestrians’ and vendors’ coexistence and how the urban form and regulations mediated them. Using the Southeast Asian context to explore sites in multiple cities under different regulatory regimes, a multi-scalar analysis will highlight the complex spatial nature of these interactions and their impacts on urban morphology. The result will hopefully inform us on how to design and manage public urban spaces better, protect the livelihoods of vulnerable communities, and harness the benefit of street vending.
Contact
- Email edkusuma@student.unimelb.edu.au
- LinkedIn Profile LinkedIn profile
- ORCID Profile ORCID