Street vendor design catalogue By Bruce Mugola

Street Vendor Design Catalogue

Design as business model is often seen as a service for those with a means to afford it. This constrains the services offered by designers to the few with the means to afford it. The many with no means are let to their own devices – to create and shape their own environment. The challenge facing the next generation of designers is not whether we are going to better the designs of those with the means but rather how we are going to turn our focus to design for those without the means to afford it.

Urban streets today are littered with informal street vendors. On the streets of Nairobi, they have literally taken over the walkways. There is little to no space left for pedestrians to walk on as a result. Most of these vendors display their products flat on the ground on top of a sheet, some have table platforms, and some just stand or walk displaying what they sell. All these platforms have been designed by amateurs and exist outside legal regulation.

Of course, the issue with street vendors on the streets is a complex one that involves various stakeholders and sectors; I believe though that through resourceful and strategic thinking, designers can solve this problem by creating new conditions. This will bring in new values and new questions: incorporated in the legal framework. The digital economy with the free flow of information has been a great revealer. With new fields emerging in the digital arena everyone is seen free to craft their own identity and chart their own path. On social media local businesses have been able to set up their presence.

These online businesses are then able to custom make their presence online within the various social media platforms. The physical arena can see designers play a role similar to that of the social media platforms. By creating platforms for vendors to display their merchandise, vendors can choose the different custom made designs to display their merchandise. This will enable a more humanistic and sustainable approach.

A precedent study: vendor power; a guide to street vending in New York City is fighting make vending laws work better for vendors. It’s doing this by providing catalogues that help street vendors to know their rights and the law governing street vending. New York City legally identifies and issues licenses to four types of vendors: Food vendors, General vendors, First amendment vendors and veteran vendors (see image).

o How can we plan & design our streets to accommodate street vending? o How will we finance this new street model? o How will designers be able to sell their services to those without the means? o How will giving vendors the platforms to sell their merchandise affect the economy and the physical environment?

I believe we need to begin with guidelines that shape and dictate how the street functions. These guidelines can be used as tools by decision-makers; urban planners, urban designers, architects, landscape architects, and service engineers in private sector and at the county to develop the street to have the needed elements for facilitating vendor activity. The guidelines can include instructions concerning: public waste management, public washrooms, public water harvesting, public workshops, storage facilities, greenery, street furniture, pavement, drainage, crossings and traffic.

I am going to focus on designing and creating platforms/structures for street vendors – mama mboga, sweet sellers, fruit sellers, mitumba seller, hawker etc. Although mostly operating outside the legal regulation, with proper planning they can be

By Bruce Mugola

I am currently looking to design a street vendor design catalogue in the local context. By documenting the existing condition, looking at the county laws governing street vending and collaborating with various designers to come up with a framework that can begin the conversation to provide better platforms/structures for our street vendors.

AUTHOR BIO

Bruce Mugola is an Architectural Technologist at Urban Dynamics LLP