Beyond markets: envisions of expanding public events in markets

Abstract

The municipal markets network in Barcelona is unique in the world. It is made up of 39 food markets and 4 non-food markets. However, the traditional markets they represent are now facing the challenges of a new era. Today, less residents go to the markets for the promotion of supermarkets and shopping online. Moreover, the limited open time of markets also has influence. The article tries to explore more possibilities of the old municipal markets network in Barcelona. For the specific function of these buildings, they are arranged to be accessible for most of the residence in the city. This is valuable and a key factor for being public space. Therefore, if they are not efficiently used for trading, what else can they be used for? A proposal for renovating an old market and planning a new market is presented, which tries to mix more function for public use with the markets and make it the center of community again. Furthermore, these mix-used buildings can also be the urban catalysts which activate the neighbourhood space.