Social networks and public space appropriations: Insights from informal street vendors and performers

Abstract

This study subjects the appropriation practices of informal street vendors and perform ers (ISVP) who take part in the routine of urban life within the context of territorialization in public space. Beyond the realm of urban management, the appropriation practices of ISVP hold importance in challenging and reshaping existing socio-spatial systems. Mul tiple factors shape such practices, including the material setting of urban space, repre sentative daily interactions, and the reorganization of power relations. In this context, as a self-regulating practice, urban space appropriation has constantly changing character due to the interplay of conflicts such as “order/disorder, formal/informal, legal/illegal and local/global. Besides these, ISVP appropriation practices are at the forefront due to the features of duration and repetition. A street vendor or performer performs actions with a certain pace, period, or repetition. The same person becomes a part of the rhythm of daily life in the same place in similar ways each day. Urbanites are constantly confronted with the practices of appropriation. By appearing along the everyday experiences of the city, like the rush hour of comings and goings of work, the periodic arrivals and departures of public transport, street markets, crowded match exitings, public performances, and mealtime pauses; ISVP contribute to the everyday pattern of the city. From this view, the study investigates how informal street vendors and performers built social networks as they engaged with and negotiated in public spaces. For this pur pose, the case study is conducted in the Istanbul district of Kadıköy and adopts a spatial ethnography approach combined with social network analysis to offer an inclusive lens on public space, bringing the experiences of underrepresented groups to the forefront. To answer the research question, spatial and temporal data were gathered through field observations, during which semi-structured interviews were conducted, and visual and auditory documentation was collected. Initially, the spatial characteristics and time intervals of appropriation practices were documented. Following this, the clustering patterns of distributions were identified. Af terward, in selected clusters, interviews were conducted with ISVP to explore their inter actions and relationships with residents, shop owners, and others working informally. Based on these interviews, social network analyses were performed using Gephi soft ware. The findings were then compared with the responses to open-ended questions and the spatio-temporal distributions. The findings show that appropriation practices consist of place-based identities by locally organized groups. Accordingly, territories of ISVP are part of or based on a local setting, which contributes to the sense of place for residents, shop owners, and people who work informally. When an appropriation is based on repetition and provides continuity for a long time, it helps the development of permanent relationships. Informal street vendors and performers working downtown for a long time have been acquainted with the residents and former business owners. They get help from formal business owners and share their territory with them from time to time. Over time, the sharement is em bodied in local communication points, contributing to local identity. As a result, this study is believed to contribute to the discipline of urban design by link ing the spatiotemporal rhythms of informal appropriation practices with the underly ing social dynamics in a local context. By highlighting how everyday negotiations and power relations shape public spaces, our findings underscore the transformative poten tial of grassroots practices in fostering more inclusive and meaningful urban environ ments.