Placemaking is the central topic in geography and on this website. Places are often seen as rather stable locations. But many places are in reality vibrantly dynamic and constantly on the move. Places are not just made by their material characteristics but especially also by the events taking place there. Street Markets count to these kinds of events. There are much more dynamics and mobilities in evolved in these street markets than the temporality of the markets or the temporality of the involvement of street vendors suggests.
This is what Emil van Eck analysed in his PhD thesis, which he successfully defended on the 29th of February, 2024 . In face of a panel of prominent opponents consisting of Prof. Susan Watson (Open University, UK), Dr. Fenne Pinkster (University of Amsterdam, NL), Prof. Stijn Oosterlynck (University of Antwerp, B), Prof. Joseph Pierce, (University of Aberdeen, Scottland), Prof. Arnoud Lagendijk (Radboud 
University, NL), and Prof. Ellen van Bueren (Technical University Delft, NL) and Prof. Tim Cresswell (University of Edinburgh, Scottland), the latter two as members of the special assessment committee judging the distinction, he did a more than outstanding job, which was honoured with the distinction Cum Laude. This made the full supervising (Prof. Huib Ernste, Dr Rianne van Melik, Dr Joris Schapendonk) team very proud, although it was Emil who did it… It was certainly also a product of a stimulating and inspiring academic setting in which Emil could thrive and to which he also contributed.
The title of his PhD thesis is
Public Space in Endless Motion. The politics of markets in the Netherlands.
If you click on the title image, you can download the full thesis.
Outdoor markets represent important public spaces of trade, consumption and social connections. Studies within urban geography and sociology have typically examined the social interactions between market visitors to argue about the role of public space in fostering tolerance and civic engagement. Almost all these studies focus on how such social dynamics develop within markets. This reading is the bread and butter of the politics of public space everywhere, but it also a restrictive interpretation of politics. This dissertation approaches public space politics as the broader power relations between people and institutions that involve negotiations over the terms that govern the use of and access to public space. By documenting the lives of market traders who work on two different markets in the Netherlands, this research sheds a light on the 
relatively hidden discursive channels, global-to-local policy circuits and mobility practices that are entangled in the politics of markets. The research findings challenge the inclusive characteristics of markets by revealing how racialised policies, multinational legislation and unequal gender relations impede access to markets for certain traders. The dissertation concludes that we need to look beyond the boundaries of public spaces to fully understand issues of inclusion, access and equality.
