Paper short abstract:

Patterns of economic activities are underpinned by space. In urban Africa, there are noticeable disparities between spaces being provided for trade, and actual places where the bulk of trading activities tend to occur. This dialectic is explored from a morphological perspective in this paper.

Paper long abstract:

The dynamics of trade are being reconfigured in contemporary urban Africa relative to globalisation, however space still plays an important role in facilitating trading transactions - as these are still conducted predominantly through physical interactions. Spaces where trading prospers, tend to be located where optimal interactions between potential customers and traders are afforded. This has encouraged "informal" appropriations of both public and private spaces which exhibit centrality, and the resultant intensification of activities often results in contestations. Relocations to alternative trading spaces are in some cases conducted to resolve this conundrum, but uptake by traders is typically low due to shortcomings at these new sites in providing equitable spatial properties derived from their former locations.

Set within the paradigms of Dobson, Skinner and Nicholson's (2009); and Bromley and Mackie (2009) works; this paper explores a mosaic of trading spaces in Lagos, to unbundle how the spatial configurations of their domains influence the activity patterns and logics of traders. It explores different dynamics relative to the morphology of space, also discussing how the urban management and planning policies - which are the transformative tools employed in defining the physical configuration of urban space, has struggled to resolve street traders uses of space.

The discussions and evidence put forward aim to contribute towards informing inclusive and sustainable urban management policies for street traders.