(from the Project for Public Spaces)
In most places, at least in many Western countries, grocery shopping is a chore; our food system has stopped being about food, and is now entirely about convenience. But it wasn’t always this way! Food has helped to define our cities, and the big box supermarket model used today is far from inevitable. In fact, the markets movement is booming, with more communities re-thinking how they buy, sell, & produce food.
Our new feature article looks at the resurgence of interest in Market Cities–places where food is one of the fundamental building blocks of urban life, not just fuel that you use to get through the day. It’s an idea that this September’s 8th International Public Markets Conference will explore in depth in Cleveland, the trailblazing city where urban agriculture and public markets are at the center of a remarkable revival.
