Vending and Public Spaces in Global Cities

This symposium brings together scholars and practitioners in dynamic dialogue about the most contested public space in cities around the world -- the streets and accompanying sidewalks...

In our largest, densest cities, local governments, urban planners, and citizens will have to find new ways to plan, design, and govern precious urban public space. Vending has been the subject of acrimonious debate in many cities.  It has also been the impetus for some innovative mixed-use and inclusive arrangements for sharing urban space. We will bring together scholars and practitioners in dynamic dialogue to present empirical cases (both contemporary and historical) around the growth of street vending and seeks to shed light on possible futures and the key narratives that will need to be re-written. 

This symposium extends the first Contesting the Street conference that was held at UCLA in 2010, by expanding the geographic focus of the inquiry beyond (while still including) the Americas to gain comparative insights. We have exciting keynote speakers that we are lining up, including Saskia Sassen, Margaret Crawford, and Ananya Roy.

The Spatial Analysis Lab at USC Price, The César E. Chávez Department for Chicana/o Studies at UCLA, USC Bedrosian Center on Governance

Free with RSVP

donnajw@usc.edu