Browsing 2016 - 4th WPSC "Global crisis, planning & challenges to spatial justice in the North and in the South", Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Јuly 3-8th by Author "Adzande, Patience"
Little or no recognition is accorded street vending by the authorities in African cities. Yet, street vending is a dominant feature of the urban environment in these countries. It is an important economic activity that is a source of sustenance for a significant percentage of urban dwellers. In Nairobi for instance, 50% of the working population are engaged in the informal sector and 20-25% of this number are involved in street vending. Street vending, like other forms of informality is unfortunately perceived as an illegality. Street vending particularly is often associated with urban problems such as pollution, filth, obstruction of pedestrian and vehicular traffic and crime. Street vendors therefore constantly face harassments and eviction from state and local officials. Past experiences have shown that forceful evictions often fail to achieve the desired results as street vendors return to the same locations to continue their activities as soon as the pressure is off. There is therefore the need to examine this seemingly intractable ‘problem’ through the lens of spatial planning and urban governance so as to integrate the reality of informal activity in urban planning and thus ensure spatial justice for street vendors. This study examines the factors influencing the locational decisions of street vendors, assesses the spatial characteristics at the street vending cluster sites, evaluates the urban planning responses to street vending and advances strategies to promote the right of occupation and space (spatial justice) for street vendors in Nigerian cities.