Are Public Markets Coming Back?

Public markets are making an unprecedented comeback across North America. You see signs of this almost everywhere. Perhaps a new farmers market has opened somewhere in your neighborhood over the past few years, or maybe a nearby street is now bustling with small vendors selling their wares. Even more remarkable, this revival of interest in public markets flies in the face of widely accepted notions that we are moving inexorably towards a landscape dominated by big box stores and fast food chains.