Public markets are one of the foundational institutions of urban life. The Project for Public Spaces defines public markets as indoor or outdoor markets that “operate in public space, serve locally owned and operated businesses, and have public goals.” They not only a place of commerce, or a tourist attraction, but a place for convening and community building that cuts across social, cultural, and economic strata. In many American cities, such spaces can be hard to find, which is why we cherish the truly great public markets that have survived. In this virtual program, we will survey some of our favorite public markets that we’ve had the chance to visit, what makes them great, and what are their “public goals,” from Los Angeles to Cleveland, Philadelphia to Flint, and even here in New York City.
- Project for Public Spaces: Market Cities
- NYC Public Markets • GrowNYC Greenmarkets • Flatbush Caton Market • Brooklyn Terminal Market
- Boston Public Market
- Baltimore Public Markets
- Eastern Market, Detroit
- Reading Terminal Market, Philadelphia
- West Side Market, Cleveland
- Grand Central Market, Los Angeles
- Flint Farmers Market
- “How a New York City public market is keeping a neighborhood’s ‘third place’ alive during COVID-19” (Brookings)
- “Inside the Gentrification of Grand Central Market” (LA Magazine)
- “Changes within the Eastern Market” (Gala)
- “How New York is Fed” (Scribner’s, 1877)
