Street Vending: Secure Livelihoods and Sustainable Cities

Abstract

The informal economy of which street vending is an important component carries immense significance due to its 68% share in the urban workforce of the country. Street vendors provide an important service to city dwellers through the provision of economical goods at convenient places. However, the administration views them negatively, associates them with encroachments and considers vending as an illegal practice. This is due to insufficiencies in the existing regulatory framework which requires changes in order to provide secure livelihoods, decent work and improved income equality in Lahore. This study interviewed concerned government officials and 145 street vendors of Lahore to explore institutional and professional challenges faced by vendors and officials. Our results indicate that poor sanitation, unhygienic workplace conditions, inconsistent market conditions, bribery and illicit practices of extortion and lastly lack of spatial arrangements adversely impact street vendors. To counter these, this policy brief recommends giving street vending a legal status and regularizing it within the urban systems. We suggest that an optimal solution can be found through collective deliberations of stakeholders to devise registration and licensing mechanisms of vendors while accommodating them in designated vending zones in the city.