Story and photos by Sergio Ruiz of SPUR, where this post originally appeared.
Planners generally view sidewalks as a way for people, or pedestrians, to get around from one place to another, but sidewalks also provide a vital economic function. Not only is there strong evidence that walkable neighborhoods increase property values and bring more customer traffic to commercial districts, but, in fact, much economy activity occurs on public sidewalks. Throughout the Bay Area, it’s not hard to find examples of the sidewalk economy, especially with the recent surge of food trucks and pop-up businesses throughout the city.
FLOWER CART
Flower vendors have been part of San Francisco for generations and are regulated by the city to operate on public sidewalks. Flower stands, like this one in the Financial District, are a feast for the eyes -- and the nose.
SIDEWALK CAFÉ
This café in downtown Oakland makes use of the sidewalk so people can enjoy the weather and watch passers by.
MUSICIANS
Street musicians are all over San Francisco, from subway stations to commercial districts. They come from a variety of economic backgrounds to share their sounds with people walking by. This string duo at Geary and Powell had to compete with percussive rhythms coming from the opposite corner.
PRODUCE MARKETS
Stockton Street in San Francisco’s Chinatown is lined with produce markets spilling out from the storefronts, serving the local community. Stacks of cardboard boxes help buffer the shoppers from vehicular traffic.
ANGRY BEANIES
Tables like this one displaying kitschy apparel and souvenirs are common in tourist districts like Union Square or Market Street. This vendor, selling beanies that resemble Angry Birds, takes advantage of the light foot traffic to read his newspaper.
SCARVES
A vendor on Folsom and 24th Street in the Mission makes use of street trees to display colorful scarves.
###
More stories on SPUR:
At Last: Bike Racks at the Urban Center!
A Future for Farming in the Coyote Valley
Comments
Seth Schneider wrote on 01.29.13, 12:34pm:
Thanks for sharing your story, Niccolo. And good point about all the money going right back to the local economy. I wonder if any one who has done this more recently can chime in about whether they were able to cover all of their costs this way.
As a college student I was able to travel around Europe as a street musician--playing the violin solo and with new friends I met along the way. The economic aspects where as organic as the social benefits of those adventures in the 1980's. If you could find the right "pitch" (location) as a busker; the cities provided the audiences which usually paid the bills eating out and staying at small pensions (inns) locally. Everything earned was spent at businesses on or near the walking streets...
(A "free-market" ---i am not sure this is possible to be a professional street musician anymore and live in the 'hood?)