ABSTRACT
This chapter explores the relevance of the New Urban Agenda vision of social inclusion for urban dwellers whose livelihoods are contingent on access to public space to trade. It deals with a discussion of street vending as emblematic of informal work. The chapter presents some statistics on street vendors, discuss their social and economic contribution to cities, and dispel the myth that because they operate informally, it necessarily means that they vend extra-legally or illegally. Street vendors are the most visible informal workers because they operate in public spaces such as streets, pavements, public transportation hubs and informal markets, and they are ubiquitous in both developed and developing economies. Informal worker organizations’ strategy in India and South Africa was to fight for legislation at the national/federation level that compels municipalities to establish institutions that facilitate street vendors’ participation in decision-making about their terms and conditions of work, including access to public space.
