Formalizing Petare’s Informal Street Vendors

The Capstone team worked with the Agency for Economic Development in Caracas, Venezuela on two main activities relating to informal street vendors operating in Petare, an informal settlement. The tasks included gathering information about the vending practices and spatial location of street vendors to inform the distribution of vending permits as well as investigating the impact of a professional training program (“Hacia la formalización”) geared towards formalization. The team created maps of vendor stall spaces along streets and sidewalks in Petare coded with supplemental information about type of product sold. They also conducted a preliminary evaluation of the training program through interviews, focus groups, and telephone surveys with program architects, instructors, and program beneficiaries. The team used a literature review and other background information to help synthesize and analyze the field data, providing recommendations to the client on how to improve the training course and authorize permits for street vendors.