Heat in the Street: Worsening Climate Change Threatens Bronx Street Vendors

On a sweltering, 100-degree day in the Bronx, street vendor Steven M. stands on a busy corner of Fordham Road. As commuters hop off air-conditioned buses, some stop at Steven’s cart for a sweet, refreshing cup of cherry Italian ice or chocolate ice cream.

By the afternoon, with the sun high in the sky, the sidewalk empties as people search for cooler settings. But while some can seek refuge in climate-controlled workplaces and public cooling centers, outdoor vendors like Steven — unwilling to miss out on the chance of a sale — have no other choice than to endure the extreme heat. “Usually around four, that’s when it starts rushing. Weekdays are more busy by the bus stop,” says Steven.

Wearing a T-shirt and sweatpants, he appears unfazed by the heat. “I got to the point where I’m used to it,” he says. 

Steven, 20, immigrated from Mexico to New York City. He has been vending in this area of the Bronx for nearly five years. “It’s just a good corner. Good vibes,” says Steven. “Everybody that buys from me always asks me about my day.” 

In cooler months, Steven works at a clothing retail store in the Fordham area. But in the summer, he supports himself with a 4-by-7 foot heladería cart packed with ice, shielded only by a green and yellow canvas umbrella. Steven usually sells a rotating selection of eight different frozen treats. He is especially fond of his mango flavor, often suggesting it and pairing it with tamarind.

Steven and his heladería cart are one of many Latino vendors along this stretch of Fordham Road. An estimated 96% of street vendors in New York City are immigrants, and 60% of vendors are Latino. Every morning, vendors with tents and carts line the sidewalks to sell clothing, fresh-squeezed juices, or popular snacks like chicharrones de harina. Now, with temperatures on the rise, these workers are battling the realities of climate change.

In July 2026, Canadian wildfires brought smoke to New York City skies, pushing the city’s Air Quality Index (AQI) to an unhealthy 200, threatening anyone who spent prolonged periods breathing in unhealthy air. As New Yorkers face hotter summers and hazardous AQI resulting from increasingly common wildfires, spending time outside is becoming more dangerous. 

But Steven and other immigrant vendors feel they can’t afford to miss a day of sales, even if that means putting their health at risk by being outside. Vendors worry about making enough money to meet their needs in an increasingly expensive city. To protect their businesses, they push concerns of extreme weather to the backburner. 

Dr. Daniel Cumming, a postdoctoral fellow at Queens College, attributes this mentality to what he calls “the weathering effect,” a mind-over-matter approach to combatting extreme heat. “We are living in New York City and we have populations of folks who are living outside, incredibly vulnerable to extreme heat, and their first response is ‘I can get through it,’” says Dr. Cumming. 

Dr. Cumming says immigrant street vendors in New York City are “on the front lines” when it comes to the dangers of extreme heat. They are subject to the consequences of overexposure to the harsh climate, and they also face economic precarity. “To tell them that you need to come inside means that there’s less money in their pocket,” he says. “Especially if they are working-class households, immigrant households, that’s not a just answer.”

Three New Yorkers died during a punishing heat wave in early July 2026. “We’re realizing that heat kills more people across the country every single year than all other natural disasters combined,” says Dr. Cumming. “All bodies feel it. All bodies have to navigate it.” 

In March 2026, Mayor Zohran Mamdani appointed Carina Kaufman-Gutierrez as the first-ever Executive Director of The Office of Street Vendor Services. And in June, Mayor Mamdani signed an executive order protecting workers from extreme heat. The order included increased advertising for cooling centers on street kiosks, implemented additional heat safety guidance in multiple languages, and reinforced protections for outdoor workers to have access to bathrooms.

Outside of city-led solutions, some vendors have devised their own creative ways of enduring the heat. An empanada vendor stationed outside of the Fordham Road’s Chipotle installed two battery-powered fans in his hat. “I just use the ice I have,” says Steven. However, these strategies only do so much. In some cases, heat exposure can become a matter of life or death.

For outside workers, a simple sunburn can escalate into a far more threatening injury. Steven shared an account that he heard from a neighboring food truck operator, who told him another vendor in the area had developed cancer from prolonged sun exposure three years ago.

The social network that shared that story is a lifeline for Fordham Road’s street vendors. Dr. Cumming stresses the importance of community as a crucial variable in predicting heat-related mortality and injuries. “Do those folks have a robust social network of friends, neighbors, family checking in on them?” asks Dr. Cumming. 

He also invites passersby to offer assistance to vendors struggling in extreme weather. “If there are workers outside, bring them water, bring them a cool handkerchief, anything like that. See if there’s anything that you can do to make sure they’re not going to be put in a dangerous situation.” 

On Fordham Road, vendors chat and gossip with each other through the workday, which usually begins around 10 or 11 a.m. and can last until sunset. As a woman selling mangos hands a dressed-up fruit cup to a customer, she realizes she needs smaller bills to make change — so she asks for help from the man selling agua frescas next to her. These vendors don’t just serve those buying from their stands; they serve each other.

This Bronx community — and street vending at large — has long operated as an informal economy in New York City. In this system,vendors look out for each other throughout different challenges, from the threat of immigration enforcement to severe weather. A vendor just a few carts down can provide the quickest help. These social street networks keep vendors safe and brighten their shifts.

Despite the prospect of hotter days to come, Steven shows no sign of leaving his heladería cart. When asked about the worst part of vending, he says, “I don’t have one.” While his ice cream may not survive the heat after being served, Steven’s hope to continue vending shows no sign of melting. “I’m gonna have a bigger cart, and I’m gonna have four different ice creams,” says Steven. “Give it one more month.”

Feet in 2 Worlds is supported by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, The Ford Foundation, the Fernandez Pave the Way Foundation, the Ralph E. Ogden Foundation, the Elizabeth Bond Davis Foundation, an anonymous donor, and contributors to our annual NewsMatch campaign.