Planning for Inclusive Urban Streets: Integrating Pedestrian Infrastructure and Street Vending Dynamics in Indian Cities

Abstract

In Indian cities, footpaths are rarely just for walking. Street vendors set up their stalls on the same narrow strips of pavement that pedestrians need to move through, and the two groups are constantly forced to compete for the same limited space. National laws like the Street Vendors Act (2014) give vendors the legal right to occupy public space, while engineering guidelines like IRC:103 require cities to keep footpaths clear for walkers. In practice, neither rule is properly followed, because street design itself never accounts for both at the same time. This study looks at that problem through three real streets in Bhopal the crowded historic market at Chowk Bazar, the busy station road at Rani Kamlapati, and the commercial roundabout at New Market Post Office Chauraha. Field surveys were carried out across different times of day to measure how congested these streets get, using standard performance scores alongside direct mapping of where vendors sit and where conflicts occur. The core finding is that simply removing vendors does not fix the footpath. The streets are poorly designed to begin with, so eviction just shifts the problem. What works is redesigning the street itself to give both groups a defined place. The thesis proposes dividing streets into three clear zones: areas near intersections where no vending is allowed for safety, narrower streets where vending is permitted only at certain hours, and wider roads where permanent, properly built vendor stalls are incorporated directly into the street layout. These changes are then backed by a policy recommendation to write these rules into Bhopal's official Development Plan, so that pedestrian safety and vendor livelihoods are protected together by law.