Informal street vendors’ participation from medellín: A tool for the development of public spaces

Abstract

Medellín is one of the Colombian cities with the highest number of implemented projects for informal sales organizations. However, downtown Medellin the lack of space balance between the street vendors, pedestrians and vehicles, is evident. The objective of this paper is to check the importance of direct users´ participation in the formulation of urban projects as related to street selling. It also aims to illuminate the perceptions of pedestrians, formal sellers, and informal vendors of the phenomenon and its implications. The main methodological tool used in the research was participatory design. By using this tool, 66 regulated informal sellers located on calle Pichincha collaborated with the University to identify their main needs, problems, and solutions.