Context of the tour

The tour was organised by Mr Edmund Elias: informal trader, spokesperson for SANTRA (South African National

Traders and Retailers Association) and partner in Yeoville Studio. The tour was agreed in a Yeoville Studio trading

meeting, and was intended to explore the different connections between formal and informal trade, and to be exposed

to various modes of integrating informal trading in the inner city economy.

The tour was inspired by current problems being faced in Yeoville between market traders and street traders who are

battling to trade in coexistence with each other. Traders within the Yeoville market feel as though the street traders

located along Raleigh street (outside the market) are unfairly competing with them and taking away their business.

While street traders defi nitely have a locational advantage as they have more visibility and can rely on passing trade,

some evidence shows that they are not the primary cause of market traders’ business diffi culties. Several examples

in the inner city show on the contrary that street traders, market traders and shop keepers can positively coexist

in the same space, creating an integrated and vibrant retail destination. Considering the situation in Yeoville, the

documentation of the tour through the Johannesburg inner city aims to serve as an exploration of precedents that

could ultimately assist in the provision of solutions for integrated trade in Yeoville

Considering the situation in Yeoville, the documentation of the tour through the Johannesburg Central Business

District (CBD) aims to serve as an exploration of precedents that could ultimately assists in the provision of solutions 1

Wits Students: Abdul Aziz Abed, Devon Matjomane, Joseph Myoya, Lorraine Nzimande and an Architecture Student from University of JohannesburgLecturers: Professor Aly Karam Dr Claire Gbaffou, and Mr Garth Klein Assistants: Mr Willy Claude HebandjokoInformal Trader and SANTRA spokesperson: Mr Edmund Elias

Pu er dp ao rs tle o amf r t oh fe in m de ne at i sn eg s/ sto eu inr s: T u bo alpe mr orce five en th twee conn ons beectiin the ci yt ty i, ca rn ed n e inx e plo thr n e id gif infe adre trnt al wa ormys o g inff managin

for informal trade in Yeoville. Other Yeoville stakeholders were invited to join the tour: community leaders and

Yeoville Studio partners (YSF and YBCDT); market traders representatives. Unfortunately all of them apologised.

The report is also aimed for their information.

Figure 1 below indicates the route taken by the group. The tour started outside the Johannesburg City Hall (corner

Rissik and President Streets). Thereafter, the group accessed market area 1 (Kerk Street Market), followed by a

detour around the Edgars building so as to access market area 2, 3 and 4 (Rissik and Joubert street informal trade).

Lastly, the group took a walk down Eloff Street and turned into President Street to examine market area 5 (informal

stalls built into the Shoprite Building).

Johannesburg

CBD

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1234

Kerk Street Linear Retail Market

Informal Trade stands along Rissik

Joubert Street Linear Retail Market

Area of informal Trade

City Block

Main Road

Route taken for tour

Tour departure point

Access Road

5 Informal Shops in Shoprite

Demarcated Informal trade sites along Joubert

Edmund Elias’ Stall

Figure 1: Th e route of the informal trading tour 2

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1) Kerk Street Linear Market

Kerk Street linear retail market can be accessed from Von Brandis, Eloff, Joubert, Rissik, Loveday and Harrison

Street which all permeate through it, as indicated by fi gure 1a below. In light of this, the market forms a major

informal spine within the city. This linear retail market was set up in Kerk street which was pedestrianised, within

Central Johannesburg Retail City Improvement District (CID)*.

Figure 1a: Kerk Street Linear Market: location and access points

Figure set 1b: Security guards employed by the CID to maintain a secure environment for the Kerk Street Market

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This market is orderly and controlled: while the traders are to a certain degree self managed (it seems that they are

not paying any fee), they are assisted by the CID in terms of security and cleanliness management, as illustrated by

Figure set 1b below.

Kerk Street market works as integrated with Kerk street shops, creating a lively and attractive commercial street, as

both can function without hindrance from one another. Informal traders are expected not to trade in the demarcated

area highlighted by means of a differing paving texture forming a trade boundary line throughout the market (see

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*City Improvement Districts are areas where property owners agree to pay an extra levy for the enhancement of the area (for instance through the employement of private clearners and security agents).

5m High treeMarket zinc roof

structure

Cantilevers

Cantilevers

walkwayWater

Drainage

Trader Trader Trader

4m lightpole

Tradingboundary

lineTrading

boundaryline

5m High tree

Cross Section Drawing indicating the structural design details of Kerk Street Market

1 Trade boundary promoting free flow of pedestrians

2 Trade boundary promoting free flow of pedestrians

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fi gure set 1c below ). The demarcation of a space for informal traders promotes a sense of orderliness within the

area, as pedestrians can fl ow freely and easily while having easy access to goods sold by formal as well as informal

businesses. Also, the zinc roof structure of the market, the cantilevers attached to formal stores, the pedestrian light-

ing, trees and water drainage system promotes a favourable physical environment for trade during evenings and

on hot or rainy days. This indirectly enhances economic interaction and also lessens the negative factors generally

experienced by shoppers passing through this area, which forms the spine of informality.

Figure set 1c: Kerk street linear market – Physical design for integrating informal and formal trading

4 Activity within the area is being viewed by an infor-mal trader while trading

3 Human interaction promoted by the vibrance created within the market area

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Figure 2a: Th e positioning of informal trade along Rissik Street, outside Edgars and the frontages of formal businesses

2) Informal trading stands along Rissik Street – courtesy of Edgars

The next trail of informal trade that the group examined was around Edgars, along Rissik Street where Edgars has

taken the initiative of providing metal trade stands in the streets along its shop windows, for which traders pay a

monthly fee (estimated by our tour guide at approximately R30). Figure 2a below indicates the positioning of the

informal trade outside Edgars, while fi gure 2b indicates a detailed plan showing the physical structure of the area as

well as the dimensional value of components such as the metal trade stands within the area.

Figure set 2b: detailed plan indicating the dimensions of the trade stands, sidewalks, curbstones, parking bays and the roadway

The stands offer a nice and layered display of products (complementary or similar to those sold in Edgars), making

the street more attractive. They have been conveniently designed to fold up when not in use, as the pavement is not

very wide in this street. Furthermore, the stands assist in providing a sense of order within the environment, as no

informal trader has occupied random portions of the side walk and Edgars’ entrance remains clear and accessible

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Edgars

Informal Trade Stand

Formal Store

Road

Curb

Kerk Street market

Sidewalk

Parked Vehicle

Moving Vehicle

Pedestrian crossing

Pedestrian

Legend

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Figure set 2c: Edgars shop and its surroundings: an example of integrated formal and informal trading

as indicated by fi gure set 2c below. It is another successful example at the initiative of a private business accom-

modating informal traders, making the street commercially more attractive, and managing the street so that the fl ow

of pedestrians around and into Edgars is not obstructed.

3) Demarcated sites for informal trading on Joubert Street – a fl exible and adapted design

The next area that the team visited was along Joubert Street where street trade takes place along sidewalks, outside

formal stores. Figure 3a on the following page indicates the location at which areas are demarcated for informal

traders.

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Figure 3a: Demarcated areas for informal trading in Joubert Street

Here, the City has demarcated sites of 2 square metres (1m² by 2m²) for each informal trader along the Joubert

Street sidewalks using yellow paint. Each demarcated site is given a number so that they are easily identifi able by

the informal traders who use them, for easier management (see Figure set 3b below).

1011

1213

1415

1630

3132

33

4041

4243

2021

2223

2425

2643

Kerk Kerk

JoubertJoubert

Edgars

7th

Avenue

Fashions

Selfa

st

Cro

wn

Cellu

lar

Joey a

nd S

am

Shoes

Disco

mWool-

worth

s

Ack

erm

ans

Figure set 3b: Trade areas in Joubert street – an example of integrated trading

Legend

41 Informal Trade Site

Formal Store

Road

Curb

Paved market area

Kerk Street market

Sidewalk

Parked Vehicle

Moving Vehicle

Pedestrian crossing

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It is important to outline what makes Joubert Street a good example of an integrated formal/ informal trading street.

Joubert Street is a one way street, offering a single lane for the fl ow of traffi c and two lanes alongside for parallel

vehicular parking. Next to the parking area, elevated by a 150mm high sidewalk are the informal trade site demar-

cations which are 1000mm wide and 2000mm long. The dimensions of these sites allow a substantial amount of

space for each informal trader, giving him/her the opportunity to sell a variety of goods. It also leaves the traders

free of setting up a table or a stall to expand their retail space. Alongside the informal trade sites lies a 3000mm

wide pedestrian walkway which allows their free fl owing movement in the street, between the formal shops and the

informal trading sites. Interestingly, some demarcated areas remain empty: not because of lack of informal traders,

but because of an agreement with the specifi c shop keeper fronting the demarcated area (who preferred not to have

informal trading in front of the shop). The above is indicated by fi gure set 3b on the previous page.

To conclude, this area has been intimately designed for pedestrians and considers the economic needs of the public

as well as those of formal and informal businesses. The design does not prevent local negotiations between formal

and informal traders, as it is light, simple, users friendly and allows for fl exibility .

4) Joubert Street Linear Market – a mixed success

On the other side of President Street, Joubert Street continues as another linear market, very similar in its design to

Kerk street linear market discussed earlier. Figure 4a below indicates the access points and location of the market

in relation to formal businesses.

The linear market coexists both with formal shops and with informal trading demarcated sites, as well as with a

sheltered central area. The market’s main issue however is the way it has been designed. While the east side of the

market borders shops and enjoys a wide passing traffi c, the other side is removed from pedestrian traffi c as it borders

Figure set 4a: Joubert Street Linear Market: location and access points

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5) Informal trade stalls incorporated into Shoprite on President Street

Embedded in the Shoprite building and framing the edge of the sidewalk along President Street are informal trade

stalls. The informal stalls perpendicular to the sidewalk face formal stores across the street as indicated in fi gure

5a below.

2 East side of market bordering shops and enjoying wide passing pedestrian traffic

1 Activity within the area is being viewed by shoppers resting on a bench

a park from which it is separated by an iron fence as indicated by fi gure set 4b below. Not only is this side of the

market lacking in aesthetic appeal, but there is possibly an issue of storage there as well; more importantly market

traders on this side complain about lack of business.

Figure set 4b: Trade areas in Joubert street – an example of integrated trading

Figure 5a : Shoprite: interfaces between formal and informal trading spaces

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Shoprite, along similar principles as Edgars, seeks to accommodate informal traders around its premises. Here,as

the sidewalk is narrow, Shoprite has chosen to use its own space to carve small trading stalls, preserving some pri-

vacy for each trader from his/her neighbour, giving them storage space, and favourable to direct interaction between

informal traders and pedestrians along the sidewalks as indicated by fi gure 5b on the following page.

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Figure 5b: How Shoprite accommodates informal traders

Figure set 5c: President street sidewalks: informal stalls rather than a blind wall around Shoprite.

The stalls actually promote interaction at a human (face to face) scale – with limited encroachment on the sidewalk

for advertisement purposes. Replacing what used to be a long blind Shoprite wall, this series of informal stalls en-

hances human surveillance of the area, and changes the social dynamics of the area positively as indicated by fi gure

set 5c below.

Conclusion – Models of integrated informal trading that could inspire Yeoville and other places

This tour exposed us to different models of integrated informal trading in the dense streets of Johannesburg inner

city: different physical layouts and different managing systems.

We saw different degrees of formalisation of street trading:

- In demarcated sites, painted on the side-walks;

- In fold-up stands, erected on the side-walk

- In lockable stalls, carved in a shops’ wall

- In linear markets, covered with a roof in pedestrianised streets

We also understood different types of management

- By individual private companies (such as Shoprite and Edgars), choosing to embrace informal trading by

providing stands or stalls, rather than unsuccessfully fi ghting it;

- By public-private partnerships, here in the form of a City Improvement District, in the form of linear mar-

kets.

This list is by no means complete but offers a taste of the variety of design and management solutions that can be

set up to integrate and manage informal trading in dense commercial areas. Beyond their diversity, these various

models all pointed to the fact that, if properly managed and locally adapted, informal trading can coexist harmo-

niously with various forms of formal trading (individual shops, franchised shops, fresh products markets). It can

contribute to better commercial attractiveness of an area; it can contribute to better street management (with a

human and lively presence on the street), for the convergent benefi t of the City, formal traders, informal traders,

pedestrians and customers.

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