A spontaneous location theory and how street vendors acquire spaces (Case Study : Kampala City – Uganda)

Abstract

This paper presents a 'spontaneous location' theory to explain the choice and appropriation of street spaces by street vendors for their private enterprises in the central division of Kampala city. It provides for how street space locations are chosen and acquired for vending activities. To attain an appropriate sample size, the concept of saturation was used, whereby respondents were selected based on the type of goods sold, how goods were sold, the street occupied, time of vending, gender, age, and spatial distribution on the streets. Subsequently, 90 respondents were sampled from 30 streets. The selection of streets was based on the existing land uses the intensity of vending, and their spatial distribution. In the study, direct observations and interviews were used to collect data. Reference was made to location theories and business location decisions. Results indicate that street vendors tend to locate their enterprises on roads and paths with high human traffic that offers a market for their goods. We conclude that the ambiguity of government agencies towards street vendors and the audacity of street vendors as citizens with rights to urban space could promote more random locations of street enterprises and set a stage for further street space use contestation. To avert further conflict arising from the appropriation of spaces, we recommend that streets identified by street vendors for their street enterprises be assessed for feasibility and valorized by city authorities to allow the enterprises to take place and generate revenue for the city.