Discussions
How Farmers Markets Create Spaces
By Zara Fischer-Harrison
At the end of last month, I travelled to San Francisco to attend
Project for Public Spaces' 7th
International Public Markets Conference with my colleague Ayal Dinner, where we
enthusiastically represented FoodShare, a not-for-profit food security
organization facilitating seventeen Good Food Markets in high priority
neighbourhoods in Toronto. The following is an adaptation of my report on the
conference, which stressed "Placemaking". Project for Public Spaces (PPS)
defines placemaking as "…not just the act of building or fixing up a space, but
a holistic approach to creating vital public destinations that promote community
commitment and involvement."
Public markets, according to PPS, have public goals, operate in public
spaces, and serve locally owned and operated businesses – for profit, and not.
Models of markets which define neighbourhoods and communities include (with
Toronto examples):
• Open air markets in parks, parking lots or streets (like the Sorauren
Farmers’ Market);
• Covered markets (like the Evergreen Brickworks Farmers’ Market);
• Market halls (like the St. Lawrence Market);
• Converted buildings (like the Wychwood Green Barns Market); and
• Market districts (like Kensington Market).
PPS suggests that "by impacting health, open space, and local economy,
markets can help demonstrate how collaboration between community agencies that
typically work separately can lead to wide reaching beneficial results.”
The other important message of the conference came in a clear and concise
package of themes, compiled by the attendees who answered the following
question: "In these challenging economic times, what are the roles and
responsibilities of markets to their local economies and communities?” The top
ten roles and responsibilities of markets were conceptualised as follows:
1. Catalyze neighbourhood and downtown revitalization;
2. Build community and create a sense of local ownership and pride;
3. Educate members of the community, especially schools and local businesses,
about the myriad benefits of markets;
4. Promote economic development;
5. Build and enhance social capital: markets as places, which draw people
together;
6. Support local products and the local exchange of goods;
7. Provide accessible food to all members of the community through Electronic
Benefits Transfers, food stamps and other (Welfare) programs;
8. Inspire a feel-good ambiance;
9. Create opportunities for small businesses; and
10. Support, educate and sustain farmers.
Other recurring themes that didn’t make the top ten include promoting public
health, reducing obesity and social isolation, as well as bringing people
together from diverse backgrounds to engage in cross-cultural communications and
understanding. By comparing these themes to the existing Toronto market scene, I
was pleased to see that my home town, Toronto is doing an excellent job, and
that there are infinite possibilities for growth. In fact, it was great to
discover that Toronto's international reputation is very good in this sphere.
Cities across the USA, Canada, Mexico, United Kingdom and Spain are looking to
Toronto as a model from which to learn and with whom to collaborate.
Now, every time I visit a farmers market, I think about how the community or
management body that runs the market is fulfilling these roles and
responsibilities. You can do it, too. They likely want your input, opinions and
praise. Has the market transformed a physical space into a more beautiful
vibrant place to spend your time and money? Are local businesses and local
farmers represented? Are any tables offering health education materials,
information on sustainable agriculture, or local community arts events? How has
the market advertised that it exists, when it runs, and what kinds of vendors
will be there?
Food and drink are the ultimate reasons to find oneself interacting with
others. Public markets create place for this interaction between producer and
consumer, processor and buyer, person and person. Indispensable for building
community, local food procurement, and one heck of a good time almost any day of
the week, markets are here to stay. It's up to all of us to keep up the
enthusiasm and keep spending our time and dollars in these public spaces. They
can only get better.
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