Beyond state regulation of informality: Understanding access to public space by street vendors in Bogotá
Artikel i vetenskaplig tidskrift, 2019

Selling goods and providing services in public spaces is one of the most accessible occupations for many urban poor. However, use of public space for such occupations is often prohibited by local regulations, excluding street vendors from legally using this space for their survival. While significant research has been devoted to state efforts to control informality, less is known about the everyday governance of street vendors. This article examines how unorganised street vendors regulate access to public space among themselves. We also analyse the contestation and negotiations between state and street vendors. The article is based on a study of street vendors in Bogotá, Colombia. We argue that informal street vendors do not operate in chaos, instead the 'quiet encroachment' of public space is governed by non-hierachical informal social control mechanisms. Our findings call for a reconsideration of regulations about urban informal activities and public spaces.

Public space

Regulation

Legal pluralism

Quiet encroachment

Formalisation

Social control

Informal economy

Informal

Bogotá

Street vendors

Författare

Ana Maria Vargas Falla

Internationellt centrum för lokal demokrati (ICLD)

Sandra Valencia

Stiftelsen för miljöstrategisk forskning (Mistra)

Internationellt centrum för lokal demokrati (ICLD)

International Development Planning Review

1474-6743 (ISSN) 14783401 (eISSN)

Vol. 41 1 85-105

Ämneskategorier (SSIF 2011)

Biblioteks- och informationsvetenskap

Arkitektur

Mänsklig interaktion med IKT

DOI

10.3828/idpr.2019.3

Mer information

Senast uppdaterat

2025-04-15