Blok M is part of the
Kebayoran Baru district, which is subdivided into sections named from Blok A to Blok S. Originally conceived by the Dutch colonial government in 1938 as a satellite city of Batavia (now Jakarta), the development of Kebayoran Baru was delayed for a decade due to war and political instability. The project was finally initiated in 1948, based on a master plan by architect Mohammad Soesilo, a student of
Thomas Karsten, the designer of urban plans for
Malang,
Bandung, and
Bogor. To implement the project, the Dutch government partnered with Centrale Stichting Wederopbouw (CSW, Central Foundation for Reconstruction), a contractor already involved in several other construction projects in and around Jakarta. CSW established its own
headquarters in the area, at what is now known as the
CSW intersection. In 1951, control of the Kebayoran Baru project was transferred from Dutch authorities to an agency under Indonesia’s
Ministry of Public Works. The development, which included the displacement of rural villages, farmland,
plantations, and livestock areas, eventually covered around seven square kilometers. By 1953, Kebayoran Baru began functioning as a planned garden city intended to accommodate up to 100,000 residents while remaining integrated with Jakarta. The district was equipped with schools, traditional markets, residential areas, green spaces, an organized road network, offices, and a transit terminal. Located at the center of this development, Blok M was envisioned as a hub for economic activity and urban mobility. In the 1970s, the opening of Pasar Raya Blok M marked the emergence of modern retail in the district, followed by Aldiron Plaza. Blok M reached its peak popularity during the 1980s and early 1990s, with the construction of new shopping centers such as Blok M Plaza and the underground Mal Blok M within the
bus terminal, which connected the terminal to surrounding areas. The district also became home to a growing
Japanese expatriate community, giving rise to "Little Tokyo", an enclave of Japanese restaurants, cafés, supermarkets, and entertainment venues. During its heyday, Blok M also emerged as a hub of pop culture. Its vibrant atmosphere was captured in the film
Blok M (Bakal Lokasi Mejeng), starring
Paramitha Rusady and
Desy Ratnasari, and inspired songs like “Jalan-jalan Sore” by Denny Malik, “JJS Lintas Melawai” by Hari Moekti, and “Lintas Melawai” by Karimata. Blok M began to decline toward the late 1990s due to the
Asian financial crisis and the rise of modern shopping malls in other parts of Jakarta. Throughout the 2000s and late 2010s, its role was largely reduced to serving as a public transportation hub for buses and minivans, even after an
MRT station nearby was opened in 2019. To revive Blok M's main role as an economic hub, the government has initiated some revitalization efforts throughout the 2020s, such as renovating the Martha Christina Tiahahu Park near Blok M Plaza, refurbish the heavily-declined underground Mal Blok M – later renamed as Blok M Hub, and enhance public transit and pedestrian access while opening new
Transjakarta feeder bus routes from Jakarta's outskirts. As the result, Blok M's popularity has significantly revived; many people from inside and outside Jakarta flocked again into the quarter on weekends and holidays and many restaurants here competing to offer unique and
viral culinaries.
Governor of Jakarta,
Pramono Anung, during his address on the reinauguration of Blok M Hub in 2025 has envisioned Blok M as "the
ASEAN economic and creative hub that never sleeps." ==Shopping==