Understanding Street Vendor Heterogeneity for Inclusive Urban Governance: A Profiling and Satisfaction Analysis from Suzhou, China

Street vending plays an important role in supporting urban livelihoods and everyday consumption, while also posing challenges for inclusive urban governance. However, existing governance approaches often overlook the heterogeneity of street vendors and rely on standardized interventions. This study investigates vendor heterogeneity and its implications for inclusive governance based on questionnaire surveys conducted among street vendors in Suzhou, China. An integrated framework combining cluster analysis, multinomial logistic regression, multiple correspondence analysis, and structural equation modeling is developed to identify vendor profiles, explore their socio-economic associations, and examine satisfaction mechanisms. The results reveal substantial heterogeneity among street vendors. Four behavioral profiles are identified, namely High-Income Stable Vendors, Emerging Vendors, Low-Income Stable Vendors, and Long-Term Flexible Vendors, reflecting differences in operational stability, economic returns, and engagement patterns. Four preference-based profiles are further identified, including Low Demand Vendors, Rent-Support Oriented Vendors, Site-Environment Oriented Vendors, and Market-Order Oriented Vendors, demonstrating differentiated governance needs regarding operational support, physical conditions, and management arrangements. Further analyses demonstrate that vendor characteristics and socio-economic conditions are closely associated with profile membership, while physical and social environmental factors significantly influence business satisfaction. Moreover, the effects of environmental conditions on satisfaction differ across behavioral groups, indicating that vendors with different operational modes respond differently to urban environments and governance interventions. These findings suggest that street vendors should not be treated as a homogeneous group in the pursuit of socially sustainable urban development. Instead, inclusive governance requires differentiated strategies that align spatial support, management arrangements, and policy interventions with the diverse needs of vendor groups. This study contributes to sustainable urban governance by highlighting the importance of incorporating livelihood diversity into the planning and management of informal economic activities.