LocoRoco Vending Project

YEAR

2020 Fall

TEAMMATES

Daniel Vanderland | Yihan Yang | Ziyan Zhou

MY ROLE

Research | Blooklet + Website Design | 3D Modeling

TOOLS

Illustrator | Photoshop | InDesign | Rhino

LINKS

Website | Handbook

PROBLEM STATEMENT

How can street vendors create a mutual aid network?

DESIGN OVERVIEW

There are many difficulties that street vendors are facing, such as the limitation of license, high cost, low income, strict regulation, police enforcement, and the widespread of delivery service due to the Pandemic. LocoRoco Vending project aims to help vendors achieve solidarity by setting up a platform for individuals to help each other by exchanging opinions, providing delivery service, and sharing resources. The project develops three major parts, a handbook that guides vendors through the self-organize process of setting up the system, a physical kit for flexible spatial arrangement, and a virtual platform for information exchange within the community.

RESEARCH + FINDINGS

We mapped out the current street vending system in NYC to understand the difficulties that street vendors are facing. The current street vending system in New York City comprises different types of vendors, the city authorities, a nonprofit organization -- the Street Vending Project, parks and public restrooms, vending cart companies, commissaries, restaurants and markets, consumers, and delivery platforms . General vendors and food vendors are under administrative control by the authorities.

Current Street Vending System of Lower Manhattan

Frear and Stress of Street Vendors

PROPOSED SYSTEM

The LocoRoco Vending Project proposes a new system of clusters of vendors to reduce stress and fear and create solidarity in the community. The vendors surrounding one gathering spot form a cluster to develop a cooperative relationship without hierarchies. To guide the vendors to form this mutual-aid system, we designed a guiding handbook, a website, a mobile application, and a physical kit for street vendors to organize and arragne the clusters.

TARGET USERS

Personas

Storyboard

WORKFLOW

WEBSITE

TOOL KIT

The physical kit consists of a box with portable WIFI and canvas panels that can be assembled into chairs, tables, and screens. The panels are connected by aluminum tubes that allow them to rotate and be fixed at different angles. When the panels are not in use, vendors can collect the panels inside the kit, and assemble them when needed. In the weekly gatherings, vendors can use their carts and kits to form a meeting space.

Street Vendors are able to test the recommended combinations of panels with papers provided in the guiding handbook first, and give suggestions about the design. After several rounds of testing, the final tool kit will be fabricated for the vendors.