…architecture of something else

Street Vendors as ‘Out of Place’ Urban Elements
Yandi Andri Yatmo

Published in:
Journal of Urban Design Volume 13 No 3 (2008)

Abstract

The existence of street vendors has become a problematic issue in many countries. Despite various arguments that either support or reject their presence in urban environments, street vendors generally have been accused of disrupting the order of the environment and therefore should be removed. The arguments in this paper reconsider the position of street vendors in Indonesian cities, drawing on Mary Douglas’ theory of ‘out of place’. Such a reassessment of street vendors as the ‘out of place’ urban elements offers a theoretical basis for the practice of urban design and planning in dealing with certain unwanted elements.