Street vendors are an integral component of urban economies around the world. As distributors of affordable goods and services, street vendors provide consumers with convenient and accessible retail options and form a vital part of the social and economic life of a city. Street vending as an occupation has existed for hundreds of years (Bromley 2000), and is considered a cornerstone of many cities’ historical and cultural heritage.

The academic literature on street vending commonly treats street vendors broadly as vendors who sell goods or services in public space. This includes the full gamut of goods and services, traded on a wholesale or retail basis, in streets and other kinds of related public spaces – including sidewalks, alleyways, and medians. The term “street vendor” in English is typically used interchangeably with “street trader,” “hawker,” and “peddler.” There are also many local terms and regional variations.1 Street vendors are sometimes distinguished from vendors who operate in the types of public spaces that are not specifically streets or related to streets – train stations, buses, public parks, and so on – but most commonly the term is used inclusively.

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Urban Story

StreetNet International:
Organizing Street Vendors

Impact: Street vendors regularly confront harassment from police as well as difficult and insecure working conditions. The ability of street vendors to improve their incomes and working conditions increases when they band together. 

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Publications

Street Vendors in Sao Paulo
By Anne Galvão and Leonardo Freitas

Street vendors are already an intrinsic part of the scenery of daily life in São Paulo. They are usually installed at points of high pedestrian traffic, where they work between 12 and 14 hours per day, with no guarantee of profitability and under threat of detriment weather, urban violence and specifically patrolling by city officials.

In this book, the research numbers about street workers are presented through some personal stories of people living this reality and engaged to change it. This photojournal, entitled Trabalhadores de Rua em São Paulo (Street Vendors in São Paulo) was completed in 2008 and contains a short biography of six street vendors and four activists of the subject.

Download the pdf: Street Vendors in Sao Paulo (pdf 2.5 MB)

Working in Warwick Book
By Richard Dobson and Caroline Skinner with Jillian Nicholson

Working in Warwick offers a fresh look at street traders’ lives, the role they play in city life and their contribution to the economy. It contains practical examples and aims to inspire other local authorities and planners in their dealings with the informal economy. It is a picture heavy book that hopes to ‘re-imagine’ the informal economy in the minds of the public at large. Assisted by Jillian Nicholson, the book is the first product of this work. Dennis Gilbert, well known architectural photographer, contributes photos that beautifully capture the spirit of Warwick Junction.

Do street vendors deserve urban space?
By Deden Rukmana

While the informal economy may provide for many in developing nations, the rights of those working in this way are rarely respected, and are often the first to be pushed aside in the name of city development, or as has occurred in Jakarta, in order to reclaim green space. Deden Rukmana explores the concept of urban informality and the rights of those who exist in legal grey areas. read more...

Street Trade in Latin America: Demographic Trends, Legal Issues, and Vending Organizations in Six Cities
By Sally Roever, 2006

This document is a review of street vending issues in six major Latin American cities.  The paper explores demographic trends and working conditions among street traders, examines legal issues related to the governance of street trade, and compiles information on the extent of organization among street traders, with a focus on unions and other types of associations, and their strategies and effectiveness.

Download the pdf: Street Trade in Latin America (pdf 352 KB)

To access more research and publications, please visit the resources page