1-day conference: Learning from East End Street Markets

Join FoQM, London-wide supporters, academics and other market campaigners for a 1-day conference to learn from the historic East End Street Markets: the threats, the challenges and on what community value means today.

Details of the 1-day conference:

Learning from East End Street Markets

Date: Monday 21st August 2023, 10am-5pm

Place: Hason Raja Centre, 117 Vallance Road, Whitechapel E1 5BW

The post-Covid 19 cost-of-living crisis has shown the importance of street markets for economic resilience in London’s embedded communities, yet East London’s historic street markets are increasingly under threat due to land speculation, changing public policies and shifts in consumer behaviour.

This conference follows on from June 2019’s ‘The Future of London’s Street Markets’ held in Brixton. We will hear from East London’s longest standing market campaign, the Friends of Queen’s Market (Newham) to identify future threats and key issues facing markets in ‘ethnic majority’ areas of London.

The Just Space Network’s Community-led Recovery Plan and the University of Leeds research findings on the community value of street markets (2022) will set the grounds for afternoon workshops, with input from East End campaigners facing pressures from the financial city and hardline gentrification.

Afternoon group workshops will examine the current position of street markets in understanding the historic East End, its diverse communities and evolving landscape, as places that foster community cohesion to address isolation, provide affordable food for healing, wellbeing and examine the threats to market livelihoods today.

BOOKING: Free to attend. Booking essential. Limited places. Book your place through this Eventbrite link: https://streetmarkets.eventbrite.com/

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This conference would suit community activists, market traders, academics and policy makers alike- everyone is welcome. To get the most from the day, participants are encouraged to stay for the duration. Vegan South Asian food will be provided for lunch. Participants can bring their own food to share.

Workshops to be led by East End Round Tables.

The conference is supported by Just Space Network, Loughborough University, University of Leeds (Geography), the Friends of Queen’s Market and Street Markets UK.

To contact Street Markets UK: email streetmarketsuk@gmail.com or call 07915 234 404 (Saif).