Political Economy of Urban Public Space: A Study of The Working Poor in Mumbai

This paper focuses on the relations between public space and the urban working poor. In most cities, the people engaged in the informal economy depend on public space for their residence and livelihood. Hence, public space and its control are important issues for the livelihood of the working poor. The main problem is how and who decides on the use of public space and how it is controlled. The paper discusses the access to public space for different sections of the urban population and then analyses its impact on the livelihood of the working poor, taking Mumbai as a case study.