New conference on the future of London’s street markets

Community and campaign groups in London are holding a conference on the future of London’s street markets, taking place on Monday 24 June 2019 at Brixton Community Base. The conference aims to explore ideas about how to ‘work together to save street markets that are vital to London’s diverse communities and economies’. Interested traders, shoppers, activists, academics and others should contact organisers Saif Osmani (Friends of Queen’s Market) and Mama D (Community Centred Knowledge) by email (streetmarketsuk@gmail.com) or phone (07915234404) to book a (free) place, or register through the eventbrite page.

The conference is supported by the University of Leeds’ School of Geography Impact Fund. The funds are supporting organising, networking and outreach activities, a conference report, initial activities in line with conference priorities and underpinning support from the Just Space network. The funding proposal was developed by Dr Sara Gonzalez and Dr Myfanwy Taylor following a workshop with market campaigners undertaken as part of their current ESRC-funded Markets4People research project. This also builds on Sara’s previous Antipode-funded research and networking activities with market campaigners. Both research projects confirmed a real appetite for further networking and collaboration amongst market campaigners which the street markets conference responds to. The conference will provide a space for community and campaign groups to explore their shared interests, concerns and goals and set priorities for future activities.

Members of the Markets4People team will be attending the conference to share relevant insights and to learn more about participants’ concerns and priorities. We look forward to exploring how our research might produce useful outputs for campaigners, traders, operators and others over the second half of the project.