ABSTRACT
This chapter explores how public space is a source of livelihood for the working poor and to illuminate the struggle over its utilization in the absence of a legal right to do so. This study is exploratory in nature and seeks to understand the meaning of public space from the perspectives of various stakeholders. Within the urban economy in India, street vending is an important, visible and vibrant economic activity in the public space, which sustains a significant percentage of rural and urban dwellers. Notably, the phenomenon has been growing extensively, not only in India but also throughout the world, especially in the cities in the developing countries of Asia, Latin America and Africa. The National Commission for Enterprises in the Unorganized Sector (NCEUS) identifies street vendors as self-employed workers in the informal sector who offer their labour to sell goods and services on the street without having any permanent built-up structure.
