Abstract:
Livelihoods of the urban poor, particularly the informal economic activities
operating on streets and other public places, are usually seen as undesirable for
environmental management by urban authorities which are preoccupied with
keeping their cities clean. Hence, informal sector activities are often seen as
"eye-sores" and are evicted from city centers in the name of "public cleanliness
and orderliness". However, it is seen that environmental problems associated
with the informal sector are mostly manifestations of unresponsive physical
planning systems rather than attributes inherent to the sector's respective
activities. An environmental impact analysis shows that provision of proper
business premises to informal enterprises is an effective measure to curb the
environmental problems associated with the sector. From this viewpoint,
accommodating the informal sector in the urban built-environment is seen as
an effective strategy for urban environmental management.
