Not a few scholars noticed urban planners’ perception of hostile relationship between street food and modernization of cities. Bluestone traced the historical policies about regulating pushcart markets in NYC, pointing out the traditional view that pushcarts are evil as it caused the neighborhood deterioration and street congestion (1991). The pushcart market is a stain on the modernity because of its representation of working class and the poor people. It also occupies the roads thus aggravating the traffic problem. Though the sight in northern side, this consideration is also in China where modernization is the national goal. In Shanghai, now you can hardly find pushcarts on the streets, instead, enclosed markets or officially regulated open-air markets steadily become the social pattern of daily life. Here is a news about the previous street food market at Zhangjianggaoke underground station (link is here). The street food market was complained by students and workers because of its dirty, smell and occupation of the road, though these stalls are the main source of those people’s breakfast. Later, government banned the market. Even the reason of all these modern cities whether in North or South; West or East that the cleaning, tidy look of a city is one symbol of successful modernization. The life of the poor is sacrificed to a bigger blueprint in which they actually and should be involved in but are hidden.
On the other hand, some scholars asked, is street market really the intervention of city development? Ray in his article stated that street market is part of the social infrastructure and the livelihood rather than the representation of backwardness (2020). Pacetta mentioned “there is a strong nostalgic attachment on the part of many of our citizens for these markets” and this nostalgia “tends to predominate over the complaints in contemporary views of street peddlers” (Bluestone, 1991, p. 89). In the case of Zhangjianggaoke, replacing those illegal street stalls, the government licensed a few street stalls and regulated the ingredients supply. These stalls are only permitted to set in the park in order to avoid the aggravation of congestion. In fact, the similar policy is universal in Chinese cities. The official project of breakfast pushcarts can be found in many cities that individuals can apply to the government. These pushcarts are licensed in food safety and street occupation. Yet illegal pushcarts still exist since not every individual has the knowledge and channel to apply for the license. And that would be the problem need to solve.
All in all, we can see the possibility to balance street markets and modernity though the current solution may not be fully mature. But that is the hint to us to consider the real status of street market in social life and try to put it into the scope of city planning, I mean, in a positive way. The question, how long will it take?
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