Contested Space: Street Trading, Public Space, and Livelihoods in Developing Cities

Abstract:
This book examines street trading in Ghana, Lesotho, Nepal, and Tanzania by using a livelihoods approach that focuses on the role public space has for the urban poor earning a living in the informal economy. Much of the focus is on urban policies and the governance of urban public space. The book promotes a policy framework that focuses on the livelihoods of the urban poor, and for academic focus on the economic role of public space. Even though the book does not directly focus on political organisations amongst the street vendors, associational life is brought up sporadically in the book.