Redento B. Recio, The University of Queensland, School of Geography, Planning, and Environmental Management
Over the years, studies have noted the prevalence of urban informality in many countries in the global South. In 2011, the International Labour Organization Report indicated that close to half a billion individuals in 47 medium and low income countries across different regions rely on informal economy as their main or only source of income.
Despite the growing recognition of urban informality’s importance to economies of many poor and developing nations, it has often been associated with ungovernable practices. While the literature demonstrates the presence of formal and informal approaches to informal economic activities such as street vending, there is a dearth of empirical research that investigates the formal-informal interface specifically in the context of governing contested vending spaces. This research aims to address this gap in the literature by presenting a theoretically-informed and empirically-grounded analysis of the formal-informal interface in governing informal vending spaces. Understanding the interface sheds light on how urban planning processes contribute to and are influenced by this complex phenomenon.
Building on a combination of theories from planning, sociology and political science, the research examines how informal practices (e.g. grassroots collective action) intersect with formal systems (e.g. laws, planning interventions). This qualitative research employs case study as a strategy of inquiry and uses documentary review, observations, interviews, focus group discussions and life-history as data gathering methods. The investigation focuses on Baclaran, one of the largest informal hawking districts of Metropolitan Manila (Philippines).
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