The Trouble with Modernization: Lessons for Endangered Markets Everywhere
At the upcoming 9th International Public Markets Conference in Barcelona, we will discuss multiple approaches to the issues surrounding markets and market culture. Why do markets matter? How can we preserve and expand local food culture? How do we address the complex economic challenges facing markets today, and what strategies can we implement to expand global policy support for markets?
Despite their many benefits, public markets, particularly in the context of developing countries, can be endangered by many forces – and often by a combination of forces. Real estate pressures can devastate a market, for example, when cities allow prime sites to be redeveloped by the highest bidder, or when investments in supermarkets or large retail centers take precedence. Markets can lose their local authenticity when forces like tourism work to undermine or displace local producers, farmers, and patrons by producing an imitation of the original site. In war-torn countries or those under siege, markets are often targets for destruction. Less extreme threats include the unsafe or unclean conditions that can result from a market’s neglected infrastructure or lack of security. Because endangered markets often do not have the management capacity or resources to improve or re-invest, they become easy targets for removal or demolition.
The good news is that with focused local action that is sensitive to an area’s existing cultural fabric, struggling markets can once again become vital centers of commerce and community. Below are two very different examples of this process, both of which will be highlighted at the Barcelona conference.
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