It’s hot off the presses! As part of Making Policy Public, I collaborated with street vendors, the Center for Urban Pedagogy (CUP), and The Street Vendor Project to research, compile and design this guide to street vending in NYC. It clarifies the rules so NYC’s 10,000 vendors can understand their rights, avoid fines, and earn an honest living. The thick document of city regulations that vendors have been using is full of intimidating jargon and unformatted lists that would make even the most patient person cry. As a result, vendors are getting fined $1000 for simple things like parking their cart too far away from the curb – a rule that can only be followed if you know it exists.
We’ve translated the most commonly-violated rules into diagrams and minimal text in English, Bengali, Arabic, Chinese, and Spanish. It also includes a big-ass poster full of fun facts on the history and challenges of NYC street vending, vendor types, personal vendor stories, and policy recommendations.
We’re passing them out to street vendors for free. Unfortunately I’m all the way up in Finland now, but if you’re in NYC and feeling frisky this weekend, please help us out!
CUP Call for Volunteers!
What: Helping with the one-day, citywide distribution extravaganza for Vendor Power! – a new illustrated guide to city vending regulation for New York’s 10,000 street vendors.
When: Saturday, March 28, 11:30 am – 2 pm
Where: We’ll meet at the Street Vendor Project, 123 William St., 16th Floor, in Lower Manhattan. Following a brief press event, volunteers will take the guides and fan out to vendor-dense neighborhoods across the city.
If you can’t make it to Lower Manhattan on Saturday, you can also pick up guides ahead of time at CUP and then distribute them in your neighborhood on March 28.
