Abstract
This report examines the impact of intersecting global and local forces for a group of migrant and ethnic traders at Elephant and Castle (EC)
in the London Borough of Southwark. This group of traders already experiencing imminent displacement due to EC’s gentrifying urban regeneration (‘Regeneration’), were unexpectedly hit by the COVID-19 pandemic at a time when the full impact of Brexit on their businesses had to be seen. Building upon the work they have done at Latin Elephant — and drawing upon the relationships of trust between themselves and the traders, which have been fostered over several years — the authors observe and record how the COVID-19 pandemic has severely impacted the EC commercial community. They argue that such observed harm cannot be attributed to the pandemic alone; rather, such harm emerges from the ways in which the pandemic intersects with additional locally- and globally-situated forces: initially, Regeneration and Brexit and more recently, the cost of living crisis. Recognising that the programmes meant to address these crises are insufficient — they fail to recognise these complex dynamics and instead treat the crises as if they are isolated — the authors propose an alternative, holistic approach to tackle socio-economic precarity and urban recovery in a post Brexit, post COVID scenario.
in the London Borough of Southwark. This group of traders already experiencing imminent displacement due to EC’s gentrifying urban regeneration (‘Regeneration’), were unexpectedly hit by the COVID-19 pandemic at a time when the full impact of Brexit on their businesses had to be seen. Building upon the work they have done at Latin Elephant — and drawing upon the relationships of trust between themselves and the traders, which have been fostered over several years — the authors observe and record how the COVID-19 pandemic has severely impacted the EC commercial community. They argue that such observed harm cannot be attributed to the pandemic alone; rather, such harm emerges from the ways in which the pandemic intersects with additional locally- and globally-situated forces: initially, Regeneration and Brexit and more recently, the cost of living crisis. Recognising that the programmes meant to address these crises are insufficient — they fail to recognise these complex dynamics and instead treat the crises as if they are isolated — the authors propose an alternative, holistic approach to tackle socio-economic precarity and urban recovery in a post Brexit, post COVID scenario.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Number of pages | 37 |
| Publication status | Published - 17 Mar 2023 |