Contesting the Streets: Vending and Public Space in Global Cities

Raphael W. Bostic
Annette M. Kim
University of Southern California

Abel Valenzuela, Jr.
University of California, Los Angeles

Cities around the world increasingly offer their residents better opportunities for employment and income. As a result, we have witnessed a long-term trend of migration and immigration to urban centers, with the result now being that the majority of people live in cities for the first time in human history (UN-Habitat, 2010). This spatial demographic shift means that the number of people and the varieties of uses vying for urban spaces have multiplied; competition for urban space is more intense than ever before.