Street Vendors are Ugly. Help Make Them Better

You've seen them everywhere: the ugly yellow-hooded hot dog vendors. Saviour of the inebriated and hungry. While the the stuff in them might be appealing, the aesthetic they project is anything but.

A few people want to do something about that.

Multistory Complex, in partnership with Ryerson University and Alphabet City , is launching a vending cart redesign competition.

Multistory Complex, who aims to "to democratize urban planning processes through public education and engagement in urban planning issues and decision-making"; is hoping that inspired individuals will submit design ideas that could be rolled out to all street vendors in the city (pending approval, of course).

From the details of the completion:

The Street Food Vending Project aims to introduce tasty, affordable, healthy, culturally diverse and locally sourced food to Toronto's streets. We will attempt to change current health regulations that limit Toronto's street food to precooked meat on a bun. We'll work to build partnerships between vendors and local farmers, gardeners and kitchens. We'll attempt to reform licensing and permitting regulations to bring street food to neighbourhoods across the City, including those without access to healthy and affordable food. We'll listen to the experiences of vendors and help them identify possible employment and training opportunities. We will listen to vendor advocates, food security advocates, restaurants, planners, designers, City divisions, and social service organizations in an effort to break down disciplinary silos and encourage innovative solutions to Toronto's vending culture.

The winner will have their prototype made and displayed at Alphabet City's Food Festival over the Labour Day weekend.

Considerations include the environmental impact, distribution around the city, access to decent food, and the social spaces vending carts create.