Architectural dynamics of street food-vending activities in Dar es Salaam city centre, Tanzania

Abstract

The architectural dynamics and roles of food-vending activities in the cities of developing countries such as Dar es Salaam are yet to be fully explored. In due course, there has always been a tug of war between the vendors, customers and city authority in terms of appreciating and allocating spaces to support such informal activities. This study set out to determine the dynamics of evening street restaurants in Dar es Salaam as an avenue for commercial opportunity, urban vibrancy and space creation. The study was conducted between 2014 and 2016 during which streets with open restaurants in the city centre were studied. The study included an overall mapping of all the streets with open restaurants: location of such restaurants, their concentration in each street, logistics of operation, number of customers in each restaurant, operational hours, type of services offered in each, spatial organisation, spatial quality, and means of protection of customers against moving vehicles in the street. For data collection, questionnaires were administered and interviews were conducted; the respondents included customers, owners of the restaurants and the passers-by. Moreover, physical measurements, sketching and photographing were taken to facilitate the study. The findings show the food-vending activities in the downtown area have multifaceted contributions in spatial, social, economic and environmental aspects which are in line with the Sustainable livelihood theory. Moreover, innovations in using urban spaces has been achieved, job creation and employment have been realised and improved, streetscapes have been created, and safety in the streets has improved thus encouraging more people to stay in the streets until late hours. Based on the findings, it is recommended that these activities should be recognised and integrated in the urban development framework.