Agenda Setting in Urban Development: Gender Analysis and Informal Economic Protection in 2025

Space is constructed into a spatial form as a tool of thought and action, thus creating power and control. Padang City, besides being the capital of West Sumatra province, is also an economic hub for other districts/cities through trade, tourism, infrastructure development, investment, and industry sectors. Although Padang City has great potential in stimulating the economy of different regions, several significant challenges require attention, namely those related to development disparities and economic dependency. This phenomenon presents its own challenges in designing spatial planning at the regional level to achieve economic justice for various stakeholders. The development of urban regions in Indonesia is characterized by a strong flow of urbanization, which has a major impact on significant and rapidly changing spatial planning. This article aims to examine the perspective of Padang City development planning in maximizing the potential of trade, tourism, and industry, with the agenda of the Informal Economic Protection Area, adopting a gender approach. The purpose of this study is to understand and explain the spatial dynamics of the city that require political will from the government in building a sustainable city. This research employs a qualitative method, utilizing case studies. The concept used in this study is the Subculture Theory, as proposed by Gmelch and Zenner (1980). This theory offers a lens for understanding the diversity and complexity of urban society, as well as its interactions with the economic and social environment. This concept is inseparable from the elaboration of the Agenda Setting concept, causing dissatisfaction among the community from a gender perspective, particularly among small traders, market traders, stallholders, and street vendors. Sustainable urban development planning requires that the informal economic sector also be protected; this is an effort to support the mutual improvement of the regional economy.