Uncertainty Under The Arches: Network Rail's Commercial Property Sell-Off And The Crisis Of Affordable Workspace In London

2018年9月，Network Rail同意以14.5亿GB的价格将200座铁路拱门作为单一商业投资组合出售给投资集团Telerere Trillium和Blackstone Property Partners。此次出售是英国一系列公共资产出售中的最新一例，通过出售公共资产，租金从公共领域转移到私人领域。虽然出售的细节仍在谈判中，但全国数以千计的拱门企业的未来存在严重担忧。潜在的影响在伦敦东部尤为严重，那里的小企业重振了当地的铁路基础设施，同时还要应对高达300%的租金上涨。然而，这笔交易也代表着一个难得的机会，让企业之间的组织共享一个共同的房东。通过伦敦东区贸易工会组织的当地企业通过制定一份负担得起的工作空间宣言来应对，最终以伦敦工作租金活动为高潮。这场运动提出了关于不同小企业的集体组织能力的关键问题，以及将从员工和居民租户的运动中得出的原则--如最低工资和生活租金--应用于商业租赁部门的可能性。该项目提议东端贸易工会(EETG)、新经济基金会(NEF)和QMUL地理学院之间的合作，以产生必要的证据，以证明伦敦东部国家铁路抛售的影响，以及集体组织和干预的可能性。这项研究将促进对社会经济价值的理论理解，特别是在租金从公共领域向私人领域转移的背景下，为新出现的关于负担得起的工作空间的政策辩论提供信息。就其对社会科学的贡献而言，这项研究将推动关于社会创业和公共生活之间联系的新的辩论，汇集关于生计和不同经济(Monteith&Giesbert 2017；Monteith&Camfield即将推出)以及城市社会性和集体文化(Koch 2016；Koch&Latham 2012；2013)的研究方案。此外，通过解决有关集体行动和组织的可能性的问题，该项目将巩固地理学院在伦敦东部开展地方问题研究的声誉，其方式将指导全国性的运动，如生活工资运动(Wills 2008；Wills and Linneker 2014)。

In September 2018, Network Rail agreed to sell 200 railwayarches as a single commercial portfolio to investment groupsTelereal Trillium and Blackstone Property Partners for£1.45bn. The sale represents the latest in a long line ofpublic asset sell-offs in the UK through which rents areshifted from the public to the private realm. While the detailsof the sale are still being negotiated, there are graveconcerns about the future of thousands of archwayenterprises across the country. The potential impacts areparticularly acute in East London, where small businesseshave revitalised the local rail infrastructure while contendingwith rent increases of up to 300%. However, the sale alsorepresents a rare opportunity for organisation amongbusinesses sharing a common landlord. Local businessesorganised through the East End Trades Guild haveresponded by developing an Affordable WorkspaceManifesto, culminating in a campaign for London WorkingRent. This campaign raises critical questions about thecapacities for collective organisation among diverse smallbusinesses, and the possibilities for applying principlesderived from the movements of employees and residentialtenants - such as Living Wage and Living Rent - to thecommercial rental sector.This project proposes a collaboration between the East EndTrades Guild (EETG), the New Economic Foundation (NEF)and the School of Geography at QMUL in order to generatemuch-needed evidence on the impacts of the National Railsell-off in East London and the possibilities for collectiveorganisation and intervention. This research will advancetheoretical understandings of socio-economic value and,specifically, inform emerging policy debates on affordableworkspaces in the context of the ongoing transfer of rentsfrom the public to the private sphere. In terms of itscontribution to social science, the research will advanceemerging debates on the connections between socialentrepreneurship and public life, bringing together researchprogrammes on livelihoods and diverse economies (Monteith& Giesbert 2017; Monteith & Camfield forthcoming) andurban sociality and collective culture (Koch 2016; Koch &Latham 2012; 2013). Furthermore, by addressing questionsabout the possibilities for collective action and organisation,the project will build upon the School of Geography'sreputation for conducting research on local issues in EastLondon in ways that direct national campaigns, such as theLiving Wage campaign (Wills 2008; Wills and Linneker 2014).