La economía callejera en las ciudades contemporáneas. La redes efímeras de venta ambulante como modelo para la reconstrucción de lo urbano

According to Robert Neuwirth, about 1.8 billion people work in the informal economy, producing more than $10 trillion per year. Neuwirth also stated that if all the people involved in the informal economy formed a country, this would be the second strongest economy in the world. Together with its economical importance, its urban flexibility is also remarkable. This model is linked to urban activities and spaces that allow the inhabitants to be more proactive in the dynamics of the city. Looking at the relationship between this phenomenon and several concepts that various authors have employed when defining the current realities, this article analyses how this type of economy and especially the street vending transform the city life and inspires other types of urban interventions such as some involved in the Tactical Urbanism. Firstly the article looks at the way by which the street vending creates, links, and transforms the social, identity, and economic urban dynamics. Secondly, the article also discusses the way in which the informal economy materialized within the current cities as well as the relationship between this entity and the urban spaces without identity, the ‘right to the city’ or the tactical urbanism, amongst others.