Public space is a public good - for all city residents to access and enjoy, whether it is for leisure, transportation or earning a livelihood. However, competing uses of public space cause conflict, and often it is the most vulnerable users, informal workers, who are excluded. WIEGO believes struggles over public space should not be a zero sum game - rather, regulated public spaces offer possibilities for diverse uses to co-exist, ultimately making cities more vibrant and inclusive.

The relationship between informality, poverty, and growth are complex. This section of the website explores what is known about these relationships.

Informal Workers and the Work They Do

Street vendors in Mexico City, rickshaw pullers in Calcutta, jeepney drivers in Manila, push-cart vendors in New York city,  garbage collectors in Bogotá, roadside barbers in Durban ... Those who work outside in the open are the more visible occupational groups in the informal  economy. The streets of cities, towns, and villages in most developing countries – and in many developed countries – are busy. Street and market vendors can be found everywhere selling goods of every conceivable kind.

Not all informal workers are poor and not all working poor are engaged in the informal economy. Some informal operators – especially those who hire others – are not poor, while some formal wage workers are poor. But there is a significant overlap between working in the informal economy and being poor. This section details what is known about the relationship between working in the informal economy and being poor.