Leong Sun Iok calls on gov’t to revitalize public markets and transform unused space

Lawmaker Leong Sun Iok has urged the government to enhance the public markets of São Domingos, located in the city center, and Taipa Village.

In an inquiry to the government, the lawmaker pointed out that while the authorities have been stating that the markets are losing interest among the population due to changing habits, nothing has been done to make them more attractive to sellers and consumers, and no actions have been taken to transform the unused spaces within these public facilities.

Leong noted that both markets are located in high-traffic areas, frequented by both residents and tourists.

Currently, the facilities are aging and, in some cases, outdated.

“The two markets have been in use for many years. Even though the authorities have continued to optimize the environment, including adjusting the size and layout of stalls and refurbishing public toilets to enhance the consumer experience, the major issue lies in the fact that due to changes in consumer demand and the impact of emerging trades, fewer people are coming to the markets for shopping, resulting in the abandonment of stalls and an increasingly high vacancy rate,” he wrote.

“On the contrary, the popularity of the food court at São Domingos Market, which caters mostly to local residents, has also attracted tourists from neighboring regions through publicity on social media platforms. This demonstrates that food courts have enormous potential for developing market spaces,” he added.

The lawmaker also recalled that in 2023, the Municipal Affairs Bureau was considering optimizing São Domingos Market and the surrounding hawker areas to better serve the needs of both residents and tourists. He requested an update on this work.

He further noted that the ground floor of the Taipa Market is currently used only for storage, asking the government whether they would consider repurposing the space and suggesting that it be used for cultural and creative industries.

Additionally, he pointed out that in the past, the government organized a competition within local universities for proposals to revitalize market businesses. However, no concrete development plan has resulted from these proposals. Some of these suggestions included transforming certain stalls into spaces for cultural and creative products as well as gourmet food.

The idea of revamping old markets and turning them into tourist or leisure destinations is not new and has been implemented worldwide. Asia is no exception, with several successful examples in Singapore, Hong Kong, and other neighboring cities and regions.