The Port Vila Market: A Niu Way

Abstract

The Port Vila Central Market is the largest urban market in Vanuatu, providing significant economic opportunities which draws in vast amounts of vendors from across the archipelago. It is an integral place for women in Vanuatu, as traditional Kastoms (cultural customs), and their associated gendered roles have given women a dominant role in produce vending as a means of livelihood. However, their endeavours are accompanied by various social and environmental challenges that are currently under-addressed, arguably due to the inadequate and inconsiderate design of existing architecture. Most notably, the Market currently lacks the ability to protect and safely accommodate vendors who must often overnight on site to protect their unsold goods. The recent global pandemic has since resulted in vendors now being restricted from sleeping on market grounds, forcing them to seek accommodation elsewhere. A lack of climatic architectural considerations exposes vendors to natural hazards which frequent the country, further exacerbating their challenges in the Market. The UN Women’s Markets for Change (M4C) initiative was created in acknowledgment of these issues. They seek to ensure that marketplaces in Vanuatu and other Melanesian countries are safe, inclusive, and nondiscriminatory, promoting gender equality and women’s empowerment through providing financial and agricultural training, coupled with aims of improving physical infrastructure. This thesis identifies the many challenges faced by women vendors at the Port Vila Central Market and builds upon the aims of the M4C to propose a new contextually appropriated market design which seeks to alleviate these hardships and empower women, in turn creating a sense of place. To demonstrate this potential, the research will employ the practice of mixed-use hybrid architecture and methods of space appropriation, coupled with the influence of neo-vernacular design principles which combines the strengths of traditional architecture with locally available and preferred modern materials and construction techniques. In line with the Port Vila Municipal Council’s consideration of relocating the Central Market, a new hybrid urban market is proposed on a new site located more inland in relation to the current port-side location. With a dramatic increase in size, the new market is an amalgamation of accommodation, educational facilities, and improved vending spaces. The design of the new market hopes to influence an improved way of life for women vendors in Vanuatu, acknowledging their fundamental socio-economic roles.