TRANSIENT STRUCTURES FOR STREET VENDORS: VIABLE DESIGN INTERVENTIONS

ABSTRACT

The commercial sector in India is ever-changing with a visible divide in different aspects of the operations, this leads to the creation of different sectors of the economy namely the 'formal' and the 'informal sector'. There is a wide disparity in documentation and assessment needs of the commercial setups involved in different types of activities in such 'unorganized' or 'informal' units. The Government of NCT of Delhi data on street vendors indicates that Delhi has an estimate of over 4 lakh vendors who are working in the informal sector as street vendors, roadside tea sellers, small roadside nursery owners, etc. all these setups require a special type of planning & consideration as these vendors have limited resource availability, with many of these street vendors finding accommodations in their mobile carts, and unplanned roadside setups. The state of livelihood and resource access remains limited for these 'informal' vendors. Issues such as the access to 'safe' infrastructure, permits & certification to operate as street vendors limit their social and economic well-being. Such concerns require significant social and design interventions to ensure the social, physical, and economic well-being of the vendors on 'the streets'.