Assessing Street Vendors Liveability—A Comparative Study in Hosur and Vellore

Markets are social institutions which are quintessential public spaces, and they are considered to be an integral part of our neighbourhood which reflects the urban vibrancy and diversity and evoke senses and memories. Markets are engines of economic activities and play a key role in developing city’s images where they encourage social cohesion. In markets Street vendors contribute in multiple ways towards the development of the society as they are a major source of affordable goods which lures many to them. The street vendors create a robust market space where they provide job opportunities to millions of youth and create array cost-effective goods of various kinds which cannot be accommodated in a sprawling hypermarket. The presence of street vendors in the markets of Hosur and Vellore brought changes in the character of urban fabric as these places acts as a catalyst for the emergence of internal linkage activity which is influenced by the emergence of many people who come and visit these places. Research on the liveability aspect of street vendors has not been addressed in greater detail. The Government of India has passed “The Street Vendors Protection of Livelihood and Regulation of Street Vending Act” in 2014 to protect the livelihood, rights and social security of urban street vendors in the country. As per the SDG (Sustainable development goals) enhancing the liveability and quality of marginalized workers like street vendors is crucial for creation of more inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable cities. The objective of the research is to do a comparative analysis of street vendors who resides in the market of Hosur and Vellore through comprehensive criteria (objectives ad subjective attributes in terms of physical, social, economic, health, and environmental) of liveability indices which would foster a congenial environment that fit their characteristics with respect to different context.