Citation: Chen, Martha Alter with Jenna Harvey, Caroline Wanjiku Kihato, and Caroline Skinner. Inclusive Public Spaces for Informal Livelihoods: A Discussion Paper for Urban Planners and Policy Makers. Manchester and Brussels: WIEGO and Cities Alliance.
The Discussion Paper opens with a brief overview of academic discourse and policy debates on public space. Section II presents recent statistical data and research findings on the size and composition of the urban informal workforce. Section III details the exclusionary practices of many cities towards the urban informal workforce, including denying access to public space; and summarizes the struggles for inclusion by organizations of street vendors in six cities. Section IV presents a set of promising examples of inclusionary practices and policies by city governments, many the result of the struggles outlined in Section III. The Discussion Paper concludes with lessons and recommendations for the regulated access to public space for the urban informal workforce.