Asian Transformations in Action - Api-fellowships.org

220 COLLAGES OF BETTERMENTcontinue to proliferate because of the ease of entry andreliance on indigenous resources, family ownership,small scale of operation, lack of regulation and locationwithin a competitive market (Bangasser 2000).Informal economy agglomerations are generally foundnear activity generators such as school entrances, in frontof shops and stores, churches, shopping malls, accesstowards train stations and at intersections. This providesthem the assurance of a steady flow of customers. Thetype of economic activity is dependent on the activitygenerator, usually complementing that enterprise.Snack food vendors are found outside universities andschools, fruit stand vendors are found outside malls, andflower vendors are found outside churches and otherplaces of worship. Most common goods sold by thesesidewalk peddlers and hawkers are consumables such asfood products. Within the central business districts, themost common stalls are shops providing lunch, snacksand drinks. Sometimes, tables and chairs complete theensemble creating a distinct street architecture, howeverinferior the materials used or shabby they may seem toonlookers. The inventive minds of these storeownersallow them to set up and take down these stalls withina few minutes. In the Philippines, the original vendorcart has evolved from the common wheeled woodenpushcart (kariton) to the converted bicycle. This shiftoccurred because of the mobility and flexibility of usingbicycles. In Bandung, one may be presented with amultitude of stalls from the fixed warungs along thesidewalks to the semi-ambulant and ambulant kakilima.Dago Street in Bandung has already banned sidewalkvending. However, daily observations conducted by theresearcher show a different reality. The vendors are stillpresent at a lower density; however, they do not vendon the sidewalks but are conveniently accommodatedat the front corner of the adjacent commercial shops,sometimes with their wares abutting the sidewalks. Thisis also true in Bangkok, where Monday is a ‘No VendingDay’ along Silom Road. Vendor resourcefulness onlytransfers the stalls from the main Silom Road to theintersecting soi where vending is not banned. Theseare socioeconomic and cultural realities that transportprofessionals have failed to consider but must be takeninto consideration, especially in the design of sidewalkspace within Asia.The need to satisfy pedestriansThe consideration of pedestrian needs is a significantprerequisite in the design of sustainable street spaces.The basic premise of the need-concept adopted fromthe area of consumer behavior is that pedestrians behavein a similar fashion to consumers as they utilize spacein a way comparable to consuming a product. Needsand values are the micro-level driving factors of humanbehavior (Vallacher et al. 1994), which are realizedthrough opportunities. The latter refers to productsor services that have the capacity to satisfy one’s needs(Jager 2000). In this case, opportunity refers to sidewalkattributes such as the ability to provide seamless travel,comfort and convenience, to name a few. These areparameters or attributes that would encourage userloyalty or sustain people’s use of the street environment.However, these factors do not influence choice butsupport or inhibit pedestrian decisions (Mumford1937). The pedestrian need-hierarchy resulted froman extensive literature review on effective pedestrianenvironments and was inspired by the human needstheory postulated by Maslow (1954) and Max-Neef(1992). The concept of pedestrian level of service(PLOS) (Fruin 1971) is defined as the elements thatattract potential users to the system (Vuchic 1981).At the base of these needs is the desire for movement(mobility). Aside from this, pedestrians have otherphysiological or psychological needs such as protection,ease, enjoyment, equity and identity. This illustrates thesix criteria and the attributes which would fulfill eachcriterion. The pedestrian need-hierarchy considers bothmovement and non-movement as contributory towardsincreasing pedestrian satisfaction.To define the six criteria: mobility refers to a walkingenvironment that allows barrier-free movement fromthe point of origin to the destination at a comfortablewalking speed with no or limited impedance and ensuresease in orienting oneself within the street network.Protection refers to the state of being free from dangeror injury while walking by limiting pedestrian-vehicleconflicts, providing provisions to ensure that accidentswill not happen. Ease refers to the quality that makesone feel emotionally and mentally secure, comfortableand stress-free while walking. Enjoyment or leisurerefers to the quality of the walking environment whichallows access to transport-disadvantaged persons(TDPs), allows equal opportunities for other activitiesbesides walking (e.g., sitting, chatting, eating), and doesnot limit sidewalk use to pedestrians but allows accessto other street users such as vendors and leisure walkers.This environment also creates venues for socializationand interaction. Equity refers to opportunities forself-expression, with the sidewalk serving as a venuefor socialization and interaction, providing ways ofenjoyment and leisure and adding vibrancy to theplace. Identity refers to elements that acknowledgesociocultural needs by creating venues for culturalactivities, producing a sense of place and encouraging afeeling of belonging amongst its users.Asian Transformations in ActionThe Work of the 2006/2007 API Fellows