Street Vending Power Relationships and Governance of Public Spaces in Bafoussam, West Cameroon

Abstract

Street vending has a strong and latent structuring power, supported by distribution networks which exploit informal economies. It is regarded as a terminal of a massive supply of goods and their commercialisation in Southern Cities. Intermediate cities such as Bafoussam, animating dynamic peripheries have an economic fabric which is strongly supported by informal economies. These cities seek to regulate informal trade in order to mitigate unemployment impact while generating income. The target of this article is to show how power relationship building by street vending impacts the governance of public spaces. It is hypothesised that at the grassroots level of the network of urban economic fabric in medium-sized cities, the tolerance of street vending as a governance model has become a power sharing with Vendors. 35 in-depth interviews and three focus group discussions were conducted with vendors along Market A and Market B road that spans over 10 kilometres. This was to understand the strategies that govern the occupation and functioning of street vending, the network relationships it displays and the implications on governance of public spaces. The importance of street vending and the networks it shapes in Bafoussam gives it a power that ensures its long-term presence on public spaces, urban economic and socio-political stability.

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