RESEARCH IN ARCHITECTURE-II

Research paper on
“Street vendor’s policies”

Submitted By:
Prafull V. Raut
4th Year ‘C’ B.Arch.

Under the guidance of

Ar. Bijal Vakharia

2018 – 2019

DR. D.Y. PATIL COLLEGE OF ARCHITECTURE, AKURDI, PUNE

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Contents
1. Abstract ........................................................................................................................................... 4
2. Introduction ..................................................................................................................................... 4
3. Methodology ................................................................................................................................... 5
4. Case study ....................................................................................................................................... 6
5. Data Analysis ...................................................................................................................................... 7
5.2 Types of hawkers ...................................................................................................................... 7
5.3 Size of hawking unit ................................................................................................................. 7
6. Results ............................................................................................................................................. 8
7. Findings......................................................................................................................................... 10
7.1 Design parameters .................................................................................................................. 11
8. Conclusion ........................................................................................................................................ 12
9. References ......................................................................................................................................... 12

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 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I would like to express my sincere thanks to my studio coordinator Ar. Bijal Vakharia for
guiding me throughout the research process. I also thank my other faculty members for their
constant advice and efforts.

I also express my gratitude to my family and friends for their support and encouragement and
valuable discussions.

Above all, I am grateful to God, who provided me with such a golden opportunity, brilliant
guidance.

With regards,

PRAFULL V. RAUT

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 1. Abstract
National Policy on Urban Street Hawkers (NPUSV) passed in 2009 made it mandatory for all
the master plans of cities/ towns to demarcate an area for hawkers to carry out their daily
activities. The policy advocated that spatial planning should take into account the natural
tendency of street hawkers to locate in certain places at certain times in response to the
patterns of demand for their goods/services and thereby make hawking zone, restricting
hawking zones and no-hawking zones in cities. Also, quantitative space norms were
mentioned whereby it was mentioned that there is a need to fix space norms for hawking at a
city/zonal development plan and local/layout plan levels, but these quantitative norms were
left open-ended to be worked out by each city/ town. The main focus will be on elaborating
on quantitative norms for a particular city.

2. Introduction
Lack of gainful employment coupled with poverty in rural areas has pushed people out of
their villages in search of a better existence in the cities of developing countries. It has been
agreed upon that the major motivation behind such migration has been economic in nature.
The ‘push’ factors operating in rural areas were strong enough to send large supplies of
labour to urban areas. These migrants do not possess the skills or the education to enable
them to find good paid, secure employment in the formal sector, and they have to settle for
work in the informal sector. There is another section of the population in these countries
which is forced to join the informal sector. They are workers who were earlier employed in
the formal sector. They lost their jobs because of closures, down-sizing or mergers in the
industries they worked in and they or their family members had to seek low-paid work in the
informal sector in order to survive. The closure of several industries due to a variety of
reasons – outsourcing of work to the informal sector, mergers of some of the corporations,
downsizing of the production units, etc – has resulted in large scale unemployment. In most
cases, the informal sector has absorbed these people.

The activities in the informal sector can be categorized into two sections – the self-
employed and casual (nonpermanent) labour. A major section of the self-employed workers
are street hawkers. The rise in the number of street hawkers is largely due to the lack of
employment in other sectors but it is also directly linked to the expansion of the informal
sector. A street hawker is broadly defined as a person who offers goods or services for sale to
the public without having a permanent built up structure but with a temporary static structure

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or mobile stall (or head load). Street hawkers may be stationary by occupying space on the
pavements or other public/private areas, or may be mobile in the sense that they move from
place to place carrying their wares on push carts or in cycles or baskets on their heads, or may
sell their wares in moving bus etc. In this policy document, the term urban hawker is
inclusive of both traders and service providers, stationary as well as mobile hawkers and
incorporates all other local/region specific terms used to describe them, such as, hawker,
pheriwalla, rehri-patri walla, footpath dukandars, sidewalk traders, etc. (NPUSV 2009). In
India, the National Policy for Urban Street Hawkers/Hawkers notes that street hawkers
constitute approximately 2 per cent of the population of a metropolis. The total number of
street hawkers in the country is estimated at around 10 million. This number is likely to
increase even further. The shear size of this sector in an urban economy implies that equal, if
not more attention be paid to spatial and location requirements of this sector, as the formal
sector activities in the urban planning process.

The spatial issues stem out of conflicts of spatial patterns of hawking activity and duties
of city Governments to provide facilities for residents. Hawking, which essentially depends
on display of goods at critical locations where pedestrian traffic is high due to concentration
of activities, often conflicts with regular traffic. In purely residential areas the spaces are not
reserved for hawkers but the services are required by population residing in those areas. The
places form where the hawkers purchase their goods remaining in the centre it becomes
difficult for hawkers to remain mobile in these far-away residential areas. Although NPUSV
is an attempt to provide space for hawkers in cities/ towns, yet the basis for working
quantitative norms are still open-ended. The study attempts to explore spatial pattern of
hawking and work out quantitative norms for providing hawking space in NDMC, Delhi as
advocated by NPUSV.

3. Methodology
Stage 1: Literature Search- The concept of hawking, merits and demerits of hawking activity,
various conflicts with other interest groups, can be evaluated by secondary source data.
Policy initiatives by Government and non – Government organizations for hawking
professions were collected via secondary sources.

Stage 2: Primary data collection- A sample survey of all hawking establishments in the case
study area was carried out with the help of a brief questionnaire. The questionnaire collected

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information about nature, characteristics of hawking activities, hawkers' dependence on the
site context, and the related problems and issues.

Stage 3: Analysis of primary and secondary information- Site-specific quantitative norms

were worked out based on the primary and secondary data collection.

Stage 4: Issue identification, proposals, and recommendations- The specific outputs of the
terminal project have been produced in form of recommendations for accommodating
hawking in a selected case study.

4. Case study
It is estimated that the daily floating population in the NDMC area has increased from an
approximate number of 10, 00,000 persons per annum to 15, 00,000 per annum. (Source:
Estimates Committee Report).

Criteria for selection of case studies: 1. Presence of high pedestrian population – since they
are usually the target consumer group of hawkers’ products 2. Presence of MRTS & high
traffic flow – ensures high connectivity and a large inflowing pedestrian population 3.
Presence of formal retail and commercial establishments – ensures a consumer base for
hawkers & free access to on – site facilities.

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On the basis of these criteria, commercial areas in NDMC are in the following hierarchy: x
First, Connaught Place and Extension (CBD) located at Connaught Place x Second,
Community Centres (CC), located at Gole Market, Khan Market, Malcha Marg
(Chanakyapuri), Yashwant Place (Chanakyapuri), x Third, Local Shopping Centres(LSC) x
Fourth, Non-heirarchy Commercial Centres (NHCC) located at Laxmi Bai Nagar, INA
Market, Palika Bazar (Connaught Place), State Emporia, Sen Nursing Home, Press Area
(Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg) and Sarojini Nagar market.

5. Data Analysis
Only 3% of NDMC comprises of the commercial land use. This translates to 1.31 km2 of the
total land area of 43.74 km2. Delhi has 5 lakh street hawkers, of whom only 1 lakh are
accommodated in NDMC area. All the hawking units in NDMC were covered through
primary survey conducted from June to August 2015.

5.2 Types of hawkers

Semi-stationary and stationary hawkers are in the ratio of 25:75. There is a clear-cut
dominance of stationary hawkers. Mobile vending largely consists of selling eatables, Pani
Wallah, soft drink stalls etc. They are also the ones selling fruits and flowers who carry their
stuff in a basket and keep on shifting their place of squatting.

5.3 Size of hawking unit

The size of hawking unit is important to be taken into consideration as it indicates whether
the hawkers have enough storage space to keep their surplus material and also whether the
hawking units are infringing on the pavements or not. The following space requirements have
been worked our considering the storage and squatting space required by hawkers of each
product type. Also given below is the distribution of stalls in each of the commercial center.
The highest concentration seems to be of pans/ cigarette hawkers across CBD, CC and LSC,
while Belts, Accessories & Shoes, Mehndi/ Jewellery items/ Jewellery Boxes, Tea Stalls,
Flowers, handicrafts hawkers have a maximum concentration in NHCC. It is the service
providers such as barbers which occupy minimum space in NHCC and are absent in CC and
LSC.

Considering the present population of hawkers in NDMC, the total space at present with the
hawkers is 0.03km2. However, as depicted in table 2, if we consider the actual space required
by hawkers in all the four commercial centers, then the space required is 0.09 km2. In

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February 2015, Delhi government ordered civic bodies and police not to remove hawkers if
they have been doing their business for years at a particular place and all the natural markets
are bound to be declared as hawking zones.

6. Results
Hawking zones should be allowed in all commercial centers along with formal shops,
shopping centers and complexes. But care must be ensured that a distinct distance is
maintained between the shops and the hawking units, so that a clash with formal shop owners
is avoided. Care must be taken to ensure hawking stalls and formal shops selling similar type
of goods, e.g. clothes, must be kept distant from each other. A distance of at least 2.1m (for 4
pedestrians to sufficiently pass through) must be maintained between a formal shop and a

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hawking stall. Besides the presence of hawkers in commercial centers, which have been
mentioned above, following key locations are the nodes, where hawking and no-hawking
zones can be made for hawkers: a) Pedestrian Pathways & Corridors: Pathways wider than
or equal to 4m can accommodate hawking, but stalls need to be separated by a distance of at
least 5m (1m each for storage, while rest 3 m for passage of at least 4 pedestrians). This
pathway width is being recommended on the basis of the following formula:

Pathway Width = V (M) / S Where, V = Volume, Pedestrians / Minute (110 pedestrians /

Minute) M = Space Module (2.90 m2 / pedestrian) S = Walking Speed (79.25 m / min.)

Stalls can be prescribed at a distance of 1.5m from the pathway, with top covers, and above
consideration. Pedestrian corridors less than 4m wide should not cater to hawking, as it
creates a situation of congestion. Roadside Footpaths: Roads with footpaths wider than 5m
can accommodate hawking stalls, with a 1.5m width for hawkers, and a 1.5m to be left for
customer base. The rest needs to be vacant for pedestrians.

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This pathway width is being recommended on the basis of the following formula: Pathway
Width = V (M) / S Where, V = Volume, Pedestrians / Minute (280 pedestrians / Minute) M =
Space Module (1.46 m2 / pedestrian) S = Walking Speed (79.25 m / min.)

No hawking zones should be on roads less than or equal to 10m, roads without footpaths or
with footpaths less than 5m. Hawkers should not be located where speed limit is 80km/h or
higher, unless safety and efficiency is not compromised and where motorists are forced to
park in the curb side lane, where parking or standing restrictions apply b) Transport Nodes
and Parking areas: Hawking zones should be along bus stands and M.R.T.S. entry / exit
points, certain static structures can be constructed, at a fixed distance of at least 10m, from
parked vehicles, or entry/ exit points. Structure should only be on footpaths, not on
carriageway, obstructing vehicles. During non – working hours, or weekends parking areas
can accommodate hawking stalls. No hawking zones should be made in road spaces
designated as bus bays, at least 10m (to accommodate one bus vehicle) from both sides of a
bus stand (to avoid accidents), along entry/ exit points of an M.R.T.S. terminal, till a radius of
10 – 15m and during work hours, no hawking must be permitted within a parking area, or
along its entry/ exit points.

7. Findings
The venders should be organized so that they can voice their issues and fight for their rights.
This can be achieved through Participatory Planning. It includes involvement of all
stakeholders in formulation and implementation of street vending activity.

City authorities should have designation of vender’s market in their master plans. Mobile
urban vending should also be taken into account while forming policies. One more policy can
also be added that venders can have their official certificate of ‘Notification of registered
vender’.

Street vendors can be united by forming an organization (Town Vending Committee) which
will help them to negotiate/ protect their rights.

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7.1 Design parameters
Display space for different vending activities

These sketches show some of the most common forms of vending display:

3. Cots and beds used to display

2. Designed moving cart goods by old clothes’ vender
1. Designed moving cart
to sell ice cream (display space 2x1 m)

4. Balloon man 5. Temporary structure 6. Platform created with

required with platform boxes, height is
bread seller modified as per need

8. No storage and
7. Small space required structure for vending on
9. Balloon man
with platform for selling ground (display
flowers area1.8x1.2m)

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8. Conclusion
Street hawkers can have the opportunity to contribute to development of urban system. So,
according to me hawker’s zone can be a part of street design. The main factor which can
affect the policy of hawker’s zone is urban population. With the NPUSV and passing of The
Street Hawkers (Protection of Livelihood and Regulation of Street Vending) Act, 2014, it
would be mandatory to making hawking and no-hawking in each city/ town of India. A
proper allocation of hawking space can be done with reference to accommodating them
according to their space requirements worked out on basis of products sold, as has been done
in the present study. If the contradiction of considering hawkers to be a burden or a necessity
by the consumers is resolved, then hawkers will also become a part of the city socio –
economic fabric and would lead their life with equal dignity and respect as the other citizens
of India.

9. References
Anjaria, J.A. Street Hawkers and Public Space in Mumbai. Economic and Political Weekly
2006; 41: 2140-46. Retrieved from

https://www.epw.in/journal/2006/21/review-labour-review-issues-specials/street-hawkers-
and-public-space-mumbai.html

Aziz, A. Urban Poor and Urban Informal Sector. New Delhi: Ashish Publishing House;
1984. Retrieved from

http://davangereuniversity.ac.in/wp-content/uploads/BSW-5th-6th-Sem.pdf

Bhowmik, S.K. National Policy for Street Hawkers. Economic and Political Weekly 2003;
38: 1543 – 46.

http://www.wiego.org/sites/default/files/publications/files/Bhowmik-Street-Vendors-Asia.pdf

Sharma, S. Hawkers and Hawking Space: A case study of Commercial centers in NDMC area
of Delhi. Germany: LAP Lambert Academic Publishing; 2014.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2212017316302985

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