Food Hawkers in Penang - a catalyst for urban renewal??

The area around Swatow lane and Nagore road is experiencing a renaissance of sorts. The old houses along nagore road had been recetly renovated and turned into rows of offices, retail and food outlets.

After the New World Park closed down in the 1970's, the place around these roads slowly went downhill except for the ice kacang stall, that was there. Even though New World Park had closed, customers continued to stream in bcause of the ice kacang........later on that attracted other food vendors who set up their stores to take advantage of the 'anchor' hawker store...the Swatow lane ice kacang man.....

For over 30 years, the ice kacang man thrived.....but for reasons best known to himself, he never took advantage of his position to buy or lease the property/house outside which his hawker store stood....in fact the owner of the property opened up a coffee shop in the 1980's and they probabaly quarreled and the ice kacang was banned from "entering" the coffee shop although it remained outside the shop...

But about a few years back, someone else took over the coffee shop and got it renovated and brought in a new set of stores to sell food in the shop including a store that sells ice kacang (to 'fool' outstation people who heard of the ice kacang but don't know where the store is)....the original Swatow lane ice kacang man had to move across the road......

But the human traffic it attracts everyday from 11.00 am to 5.00 pm is quite substantial.....this lead to property owners taking advantage and renovating those rent control houses and putting them up for lease as restaurants and offices....

Other examples of hawkers being catalysts of urban renewal is along Cintra Street (lesser extent) and New Lane......