On the governing of ‘gray’ trading spaces in Accra
Multiple powers and ambiguous ‘worlding’ practices
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 12714246 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Lena Fält (0000-0001-7679-7851, Lena Fält is a researcher at Stockholm University, Department of Human Geography, Svante Arrhenius väg 8, Stockholm 106 91, Sweden, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2021 |
| Volume | 44 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Pages | 81-104 |
| Publication date | 2021-01-21 |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | International Development Planning Review (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1474-6743 • E-ISSN: 1478-3401 |
| Publisher | Liverpool University Press (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.3828/idpr.2021.2 |
| OpenAlex | W3010918813 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 4 |
| References cited | 27 |
Recent studies on ‘urban informality’ stress the role of the state in the production and governing of ‘gray spaces’. This paper contributes to this body of research by emphasising the multiple actors involved in the governance of informal land uses and their ambiguous positions on how these spaces should best be understood and approached. Based on an in-depth case study of ‘gray’ trading spaces in central Accra, I show that individual landowners in the vicinity of trading spots play a crucial role in the governing of roadside trading, together with state actors and traders. Furthermore, traders and state actors are both engaged in ambiguous ‘worlding practices’ that, on the one hand, envision Accra as becoming a city where street trade is eradicated, while, on the other hand, street trade is considered to be an opportunity for urban (economic) development. These varied perspectives imply that neither traders nor state bodies are uniform actors and that these groups are not necessarily positioned against each other
Business · Corporate governance · Economic geography · Economic system · Economics · Economy · Gray (unit · Sociology · State (computer science · Urban and Rural Development Challenges · Urban Planning and Governance · Finance
Urban Informality
From Shacks to Skyscrapers
Unpacking State Practices in City-Making,in Conversations with Ananya Roy
Worlding Cities
Governing urban informality
Introduction
Critical theory and ‘gray space’
Street vendors and cities
The growing problem of forced evictions and the crucial importance of community-based, locally appropriate alternatives
Assembling/Worlding Cities
From quiet to bold encroachment
Exploring the emergence and governance of new cities in Accra, Ghana
Foucault, Governmentality, and Critique
Why India Cannot Plan Its Cities
Political power beyond the State
Displacing Informality
Slumdog Cities
Urban Informality and the State
Occupancy Urbanism
From 'Dangerous Classes' to 'Quiet Rebels
Beyond a state-centric approach to urban informality
| Citations per year | 2 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2024 - 2025 (2) |
| Highly cited | No |