Positive dialogues:
Berwick St. Market, London, UK 2011

A close collaboration with the traders, residents, and storeowners of Berwick Street Market tomobilize the community and develop an alternative master plan for the area.

Positive Dialogues was aself-initiated projectand collaboration with market traders,residents, and storeowners of Berwick Street Market to address a pending large-scaletransformation of the historic market into a commercial high street. The project engagedresidents and traders in discussions about the future of the market, using a handmade marketstall constructed from reclaimed floorboards from a nearby hat factory. Offering nothing forsale, the stall was a space for dialogue and weekly workshops, including story telling events,drawing and painting sessions, film screenings, and meetings with diverse communitymembers, the Westminster Borough Council, and developers. The process led to theestablishment of the Berwick Street Working Group (BSWG) seeking support fromParliament and, utilizing the newly established Localism Act to successfully oppose the thenpending redevelopment proposal. Since then, the BSWG has remained active, launchingcampaigns to develop the street according to the community’s vision. In the following years,several proposals generated during the market stall sessions were realized by the local councilin collaboration with theBSWG.