ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the battle over public space between street traders and those who seek their removal. It argues that long-established zero-tolerance policies of street trader clearances persist today; so-called revanchist urbanism whereby urban space is claimed for elites to exclude the poor. The chapter then explores the known impacts of these policies before examining emerging, more tolerant post-revanchist approaches, which recognise traders' needs to appropriate public space to maintain their livelihoods. The high degree of spatial inequality in Latin America is imprinted on the landscapes of its major cities. The consequences of forced displacement, including those where alternative trading sites are offered, are explored in relation to the political, economic and socio-cultural battlegrounds. The fight over space in the city lies at the heart of revanchist urban policy-making, so perhaps the most notable indication of a post-revanchist policy is the renewed tolerance of street traders in the city centre.
