Migrant Street Vendors in Urban China and the Social Production of Public Space

Ryanne Flock*, Werner Breitung

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

45 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

This article focuses on the dynamics between migrant street vendors and public security forces and the complex social production of urban public space in Guangzhou. As an answer to daily contestation of public order, security agencies reluctantly open flexible windows of business opportunities to hawkers. Zones and periods of control, 'soft' approaches, and categories of ethnic belonging influence everyday governance and accessibility of public space. This results in a transient public space, fluid and continuously changing, which offers a new perspective on openness and functioning of public space in urban China.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)158-169
Number of pages12
JournalPopulation, Space and Place
Volume22
Issue number2
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Mar 2016

Keywords

  • Guangzhou
  • Migrants
  • Public order
  • Public space
  • Street vendors
  • Urban China

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