Public food markets can be key centers of urban commerce and social life. Late last year, a brainstorming event in London considered how they might evolve to accommodate modern lifestyles and technologies.
More permanent than farmers' markets (though they can assume that role), urban food markets like London's Borough Market and Seattle's Pike Place offer counterpoints to the supermarket mainstream. Louise Marston reports on a event that took place late last year in Borough Market, bringing together "chefs, designers, policy makers, academics and market-goers [...] to explore ideas about what the market of the future might look like."
Marston writes, "The future of food is often treated either as an economic future - a future industry, with associated employment patterns and distribution routes. Or it is forecast as a global, ethical future - a looming crisis of growing population colliding with a growing preference for meat and processed food." Event participants considered a more holistic vision: food as an expression of community.
"There was also a desire to preserve the market as a meeting place, a place of conviviality. Some people wanted to emphasise the role of the market as a place for bartering, exchange and in capturing the full life-cycle of food, including its growing and waste."
Discussion also took place about how the public market—seen as something of a throwback—can be improved by 21st-century technologies. "Drones, hovercraft, helicopters and electric vehicles were all suggested as new ways for food to make its way to and from the market."
FULL STORY: The Future of the Urban Food Market
What Makes a 'Farmers' Market?'
What constitutes a farmers' market, rather than an outdoor or public market?
New Orleans Public Markets Make a Comeback
Plagued by supermarket chains and natural disasters, the public markets of New Orleans could help revive community identity. Here are some of the ways they're getting back in business.
Pedestrian Barriers Installed on London's Bridges Endanger Cyclists
In the wake of two terrorist attacks on London bridges that killed pedestrians, concrete barriers were installed on three crossings to prevent repeat rampages. The only problem is that they were installed in bicycle lanes.
Depopulation Patterns Get Weird
A recent ranking of “declining” cities heavily features some of the most expensive cities in the country — including New York City and a half-dozen in the San Francisco Bay Area.
California Exodus: Population Drops Below 39 Million
Never mind the 40 million that demographers predicted the Golden State would reach by 2018. The state's population dipped below 39 million to 38.965 million last July, according to Census data released in March, the lowest since 2015.
Chicago to Turn High-Rise Offices into Housing
Four commercial buildings in the Chicago Loop have been approved for redevelopment into housing in a bid to revitalize the city’s downtown post-pandemic.
New Park Opens in the Santa Clarita Valley
The City of Santa Clarita just celebrated the grand opening of its 38th park, the 10.5-acre Skyline Ranch Park.
U.S. Supreme Court: California's Impact Fees May Violate Takings Clause
A California property owner took El Dorado County to state court after paying a traffic impact fee he felt was exorbitant. He lost in trial court, appellate court, and the California Supreme Court denied review. Then the U.S. Supreme Court acted.
How Urban Form Impacts Housing Affordability
The way we design cities affects housing costs differently than you might think.
City of Costa Mesa
Licking County
Barrett Planning Group LLC
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Mpact Transit + Community
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
City of Universal City TX
ULI Northwest Arkansas
Town of Zionsville
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
