ARTICLE | Street Vendors & Land-Use
Street Vendors
The undervalued elements of urban aesthetics
I
ndia’s urban atmosphere is a mix of formal and informal settings, of crowds and traffic jams, of architectural marvels and historical monuments. However, one element that most of us neglect but are closely tied to is street vending. A large part of economic activity in many urban centres across India is owed to street vendors. They not only make commodities affordable for the public but also make them accessible. From flowers to vegetables and from electronics to clothes, street vendors run through the length and breadth of urban India. Street vendors also contribute in a big way to changing the aesthetic
34 April 2021 | www.urbanupdate.in
appeal of cities. While conducting their businesses, they often occupy spaces that were initially meant for other purposes or simply leave the area dirty after they close shop. However, at the same time, street vendors also cater to a wide range of advantages to the city’s landscape. Apart from making daily-use commodities accessible, street vendors also help in making cities safer. In her book ‘The Death and Life of Great American Cities’, American-Canadian author and journalist Jane Jacobs said that diversifying land use can greatly help make women feel safer. This includes, but is not limited to, formally opening up our public spaces to street vendors. In India, street vending can widely
be divided into two types – Periodic temporary markets and Fixed Individual spots. This is based on how street vendors utilise public spaces for their businesses.
Periodic Markets
These markets are primarily set up on a daily or weekly basis. Vegetables, fruits, flowers, plastic products like combs and mugs, and cutlery are some of the things that are most commonly found in these markets. Markets like those that crop up in RK Puram in New Delhi on Fridays and Sunday, or like those that inhabit Arpora in North Goa on Friday nights, are often the lifeline of the area’s economy. In Arpora, for example, shopkeepers set up shop in
