Spatialities of Informal Street Vending

Kim Dovey, Reden Recio, Elek Pafka

This project is an investigation of the spatial logic of informal street trading in Manila, Jakarta and Dhaka. It involves multi-scalar mapping and analysis of 20 km transects through these cities, using the lens lens of Google Streetview . Where is street vending evident and how does this spatiality differ by trading type, urban morphology and governance context? We also explore the spatiality of access to such spaces, which depends in turn on a larger assemblage of informal settlements and informal public transport. The goal is to enhance the prospects for co-produced and negotiated outcomes that protect the livelihoods of the urban poor and protect the city from an unbridled commodification of public space.

Publications:

Dovey, K., Recio, R. & Pafka, E. (2022). ‘The spatial logic of informal street vending in Manila: an assemblage approach’, Space and Polity, 26(3), 192-215.