Although natural markets are popular among local communities, civic authorities and state government view them as overcrowded and dirty places of insignificant commercial transactions. Despite the formulation of the 2009 National Policy on Urban Street Vendors, efforts are often made to remove vendors or to relocate the markets. Most often vendors are considered responsible for the chaotic conditions and congestion in the public space that the natural market occupies. Our spatial analysis of Jamalpur natural market in Ahmedabad showed that the problems of the natural market are not due to lack of space but lack of an appropriate approach for inclusive planning. Further, analysis of the interrelations between the different occupant groups of the market showed that the complex interactions between them are critical for livelihood generation and the smooth functioning of the market. To conclude, we propose a schematic design accommodating all the activities and the occupant groups of the natural market. This design also demonstrates that inclusive planning supporting the existing interrelations within a natural market is possible as opposed to the common solution of removing natural markets.
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