In Singapore and Hong Kong, street hawkers were corralled into hawker centres, which kept the amazing food culture alive and solved the hygiene and sanitation problems as well: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hawker_centre

However, it's hard to see Thailand's shambolic junta pulling off such a move, and there's no space for them anyway. (In Singapore and HK, most hawker centres were built as part of massive public housing projects.)

I live in Singapore and even within the past years there has been a clear shift in cuisine as hawker centres become homogenized. Long ago the street vendors were shifted into groups under permanent roofs. But over time the areas under those roofs became standardized like shipping containers and now most of the kitchens are exactly the same size. This limits diversity because there can no longer be an auntie selling tiny packets of whatever for $1 from a cart. Centralization also gave rise to food type quotas, so if there are three chicken rice shops in one area you may not be allowed to open another.

Hawker centres do enable an amazing food culture, but at a price. Bangkok has them too, just not exclusively.

>"This limits diversity because there can no longer be an auntie selling tiny packets of whatever for $1 from a cart. Centralization also gave rise to food type quotas, so if there are three chicken rice shops in one area you may not be allowed to open another."

Wow. That's really sad. It it exactly fits my impression of Singapore (at least from its stereotype as seen from Taiwan). The hawker food is great and especially the Indian/Chinese/Western fusion foods were a treat, but it would be a better city if it also had a nightmarket where that auntie could sell from her cart.

There's definitely a happy spot between unmonitored, unsafe street foods and 100% central control stamping out not only the unsanitary but also the variety.

I found Hawker centers in HK way dirtier than eating in the street in Bangkok :P and waaaaaay worse food... In Singapore was OK but like the rest of the city everything feels too clean and boring!

Bangkok has already Hawker centers but its a totally different experience (complementary).

I really love the smells, the lighting, busy things happening all the time around me, and feeling so casual while eating in the street... :)

I live in one area where they recently banned street vendor (Sukhumvit side of Onnut Rd). No, they didn't go away, instead they're now in a sub-Soi rather than on the main street. Some choose to rent a space at nearby market. Also street vendor on the setback space of the building is still allowed (as long as the building owner is OK with it).

Personally as someone who actually lives here, I'm very happy with the ban, at least from what I see in the Onnut area. Walking from home to train station is no longer 10 minutes torture of trying to evade stalls and people trying to buy from stalls, no more weird water splash, no more trash loitering and no need to walk on the road because the sidewalk is occupied. And those who do want to enjoy street food can still go into smaller Soi or nearby bazaar and look for them.