The paper posits that the progressive policies of spatial protection for the street vendors in the Street Vendors (Protection of Livelihood and Regulation of Street Vending) Act, 2014 directly contradict the state planning practices of addressing informality that rests on restrictive control of the informal and centralisation of planning powers, thereby arguing for social justice-centred reforms in urban planning acts and policies. The paper will focus on the case of Delhi’s master planning history and process, especially in the lead-up to the draft master plan for Delhi 2041.
