Action publique et gentrification commerciale : la régénération contestée d’un marché municipal à Londres

Abstract

The London Borough of Hackney—a large Labour stronghold—faces a sweeping gentrification and is often accused of catalysing gentrification by community groups. Such criticism is characteristically harsh when it comes to a council-managed street market in the centre of the Borough: Ridley Road Market. It originates in campaigns that aim to save the local character of the market or to fight against commercial and/or residential gentrification. However, discursively, the council goes as far as depicting its actions as a resistance to commercial gentrification. This reveals a discrepancy between the council’s political discourse and its actions as perceived by campaign activists. While the council has implemented a range of actions to regenerate the market, this paper questions the ambiguity of its actions when it comes to the gentrification process which threatens the market. The council’s policies would indirectly foster the gentrification process. Among other things, the eviction of the tradespeople would be hastened by the regeneration of the market in which they are not invited to participate.

Keywords

• gentrification
• street market
• social mobilisation
• urban regeneration