The Production of Marketspaces: Urbanization and Street Vendors in Areia Preta, 1970 - 1994

This thesis applied Henri Lefebvre's “Production of Space” to analyze two productions of marketspaces to understand the urbanization of Areia Preta (黑沙環) between 1970 and 1994.

In the early 1920s through the 1980s, Areia Preta (黑沙環) underwent land reclamation and urbanization, but its development lagged behind other reclaimed areas. The government seemed to lack a clear development plan for Areia Preta (黑沙環) and instead used it as a reserve land for future city expansion. From the 1940s to the 1960s, large numbers of refugees and immigrants flooded into Macau, overwhelming the government's ability to properly settle the population. As a result, Areia Preta (黑沙環) became an agricultural area with informal settlements. In 1966, the government announced an Urbanization Plan for Areia Preta (黑沙環), but it was limited in scope and did not fully develop the area. Another wave of immigrants arrived in the late 1970s, further increasing the shanty settlements in Macau. It was not until 1985 that the government began establishing “economic housing” to settle the shanty area inhabitants, marking the start of Areia Preta (黑沙環) ’s transition from agricultural to urban residential development. As more immigrants settled in Areia Preta (黑沙環) in the late 1970s, informal marketspaces emerged organically, with hawkers and street vendors occupying public spaces. This led to issues around
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traffic, hygiene, crime, and food safety. In 1986, the government formalized these informal markets by establishing designated hawker zones and registering vendors. The culmination of this process was the opening of Iao Hon Market in 1994, which combined the functions of a marketplace, park, and social facilities. This influenced the development of market buildings in Macau in the 21st century.