Enforcement of Street Vending Regulations in New York City: How Neighborhood Demographic and Economic Characteristics Shape Patterns of Enforcement

Street vending is a vital form of informal activity in New York City, sustaining over 23,000 vendors, majority of whom are immigrants and people of color. Despite its economic and cultural importance, street vending is subject to complex, uneven, and often punitive. This thesis investigates how neighborhood economic and demographic characteristics shape enforcement of street vending regulations in Manhattan and Queens, with a particular focus on the influence of privatized governance through Business Improvement Districts (BIDs). Using administrative data on vendor violations from 2020 to 2024, combined with neighborhood socioeconomic data, this study employs negative binomial regression models to analyze patterns of enforcement. Results show that enforcement intensity does not correlate with the density of vendors but is explained by neighborhood property values and the presence of BIDs. Higher population of Hispanic and Asian populations in neighborhoods are associated with somewhat increased enforcement. Building on these findings and informed by theories of urban informality, this thesis recommends inclusive, participatory planning approaches that balance vendor livelihoods with the interests of local businesses and communities. This research contributes to the understanding of informal urbanism in New York City and examines the influence of business and capital interests in enforcement of vending regulation.