An unique solution that would help to include informal vendors in the public space development without compromising on the Urban Design
Abstract : Public spaces go beyond the typical definition of being an open space. They reflect the diversity and vibrancy of the urban fabric and hold the power to create memories. Among all public spaces, streets emerge as the most public. Streets are engines of economic activities, social hubs, and platforms for civic engagement. They break socio-economic divides and foster social cohesion. Planning, designing, and managing better public spaces have become important global discussions. Sustainable Development Goals and the New Urban Agenda emphasize the significance of inclusive and sustainable economy and safe, accessible and quality public spaces for all. The proposed article uses the case of street vending to understand the manifestation of these goals in an Indian context by assessing street vendors’ role in Ahmedabad’s urban fabric through extensive spatial analysis of 4,000 vendors at four different time points of the day, perception studies of their clientele disaggregated by gender, income and age, and their relationship with surrounding land-use and street hierarchy. It showcases how street vendors make the streets more vibrant by increasing activities, safer through ensuring inflow of people, and inclusive in its true sense by allowing people from different backgrounds to participate in the exchange of goods and services. It further argues that street vendors are vital elements of more equitable and exciting streets and public space.
? However, the character of the existing public spaces, the distribution of open spaces and parks and their inadequacy, the destruction of public space, and the things that are required to be done stand as important issues to be addressed.
? The vehicle route and co-existence of the pedestrians and vehicles on the street should be assessed and the issue should be solved.
? streets are meeting spaces; spaces to deal with strangers; the house of the society; the main elements of urban existence; spaces as changeable as life; symbolic models of urban problems; and symbols of free city.
? They have been divided into two between pedestrians and vehicles and lost many social functions of theirs.
? Though the users in all 5 cases largely perceive the space in positive light, they often mentioned infrastructure related issues, such as parking, waste management, and congestion.
? These problems are true for most areas in the city with similar land use and density.
? However, their perception of the street vendors predominantly emphasizes the contribution of street vending in making the space more vibrant, the streets safer and their lives more convenient.
? Despite several mechanisms, local policies, and governance systems formalizing street vending along both sides of Law Garden, the ULB continues to harass, evict, and displace street vendors in the name of abating parking issues, congestion, and menace.
• Streets are proposed as the starting point of settlement upgrading and the link for integration with the city and its development plan.
• The perceived advantages of the urban layouts proposed for upgrading triggered voluntary demolition and rebuilding according to the layout plan.
• Slum upgrading with sites and services projects has demonstrated the importance of providing affordable plots for resettlement purposes.
• It is feasible to implement this strategy and the demolitions and relocations required for this purpose can be undertaken through processes of community mapping, enumeration and participatory planning.
? All these cases are used to highlight the role of street vendors in making streets more public.
? The shaded areas of the park are used by the men to relax or nap during the afternoons, who often buy tea and snacks from the food vendors in late afternoons.
? The word street is used interchangeably with the terms path, avenue, highway, way and route.
? This has two advantages, it underscores the great concern of the entrepreneur and reveals how extraordinary the circumstances are, and the time it takes for the meeting to take place gives everybody a chance to cool down and consider realistic solutions.
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