The Impact of the Planning system on the Gypsy and Traveller community; counter-mapping, oral histories and housing justice
Camille completed a Bachelor's Degree in Geography and Planning at the Panthéon-Sorbonne University in France, which included an Erasmus year at Trinity College Dublin in Ireland. Following this, she obtained a Master's in Urban and Regional Planning from the University of Amsterdam in the Netherlands. Her master's thesis explored the production and liveability of urban space in the only 'eco-village' in Ireland. She went on to work in various planning practitioner roles for local government in the UK, most recently serving as a senior planner with a focus on policy and project management.
Her research will contribute to the reframing and re-historicizing of the UK’s contemporary “Traveller problem.” Working with the Gypsy and Traveller community, her research will utilise tools, techniques, and practices such as counter-mapping, oral histories, and housing justice to challenge racist narratives around accommodating Gypsy and Traveller nomadism. The project will invert established approaches to mapping and oral history to expose the impacts that limiting nomadic practices has had on Gypsy and Traveller communities over time. It will document the decline of official sites, accepted "stopping places," and the gradual criminalisation of nomadism, including the recent criminalisation of trespass. This research centres Gypsies and Travellers in contemporary debates on social exclusion and housing justice, aiming to challenge their long-standing marginalisation.
The research poses three key questions:
1. How has the provision of Gypsy and Traveller sites and “stopping places” evolved since the 1960s, and what are the key trends in planning applications and outcomes?
2. What is the long-term impact of the planning system and outcomes on the quality of life of nomadic Gypsies and Travellers?
3. How can hard-to-reach planning data and counter-mapping techniques challenge prevailing narratives and prejudices related to Gypsy and Traveller site provision?
Supervisors: Prof Ryan Powell, Prof Stephen Hincks, Ellie Faro (nee Rogers) CEO, Leeds Gypsy and Traveller Exchange (GATE)