Policy intervention in the street foods trade and its effects on health and livelihood: a case study of Quezon City
Creators: name: Yeung, Donna S.
Publisher: name: University of British Columbia
Year: 2009

description: Many urban centres in the developing world are experiencing significant growing pains in both their physical and social attributes. In Southeast Asia, the rapid pace of urbanisation is indicated by many factors, some of which include: population growth, increased demands for employment, and increased demands for physical and social infrastructure. However, it is often the case that this growth is coincided by a lack of financial capability as well as a lack of institutional readiness to meet the demands of a growing urban population. In order to ease the transition process, growth management policies at both the national and local levels will need to be developed and implemented. This thesis addresses the above problematique by asking the question: At what point and through what processes can a local government policy be used as an effective intervention in managing its urban growth? Here we examine three themes: (1) the creation of institutional linkages between local government units and community organisations to develop and deliver services in support of street food vending activities; (2) the impact on health and livelihood by the introduction of a municipal ordinance that regulates street food vending activities and; (3) the implications which street foods activities have for the planning process in a municipality. A case study into the process of developing a municipal ordinance on street foods activities was used to examine these themes. Through the use of questionnaires and interviews, some answers to our question were revealed. The principal findings relevant to the policy question that emerged are the following: (1) urban planning interventions of a regulatory nature are insufficient means of dealing with street foods issues; (2) the participation of interested community groups in the development of such policies is very important for their effective implementation and; (3) education and awareness of certain issues pertinent to the policy question at hand must take place both within government agencies and within the public community in order to instil wilful support for the provisions of the policy. Important lessons that spoke to the health and livelihood impacts of street foods activities are the following: (1) street vended foods are an important link in the urban food delivery system and as such, some regulation of their nutritional content and safe preparation is an effective intervention in managing the health of the urban population at large but is especially important to the urban poor; (2) street food vending activities are important means of income generation for many of the urban poor - especially women - and as such recognition of these activities is an effective means of addressing the employment issue and finally; (3) street food vendors have intimate knowledge and understanding of their business needs and therefore should be consulted by government officials in the process of developing a street foods policy.