Participants in this training course learn the essentials for creating a thriving public market that is economically sustainable, maximizes community benefits, and contributes to the creation of diverse and lively public spaces. Topics include the benefits and ingredients of successful public markets, an introduction to placemaking for markets, community engagement, sustainable market operations and management, and scaling up market facilities and operations.

Among their many benefits, public markets provide local entrepreneurs with a low-risk, low-cost space to start up, test out, and expand their businesses, unlike traditional brick-and-mortar storefronts. This is especially important for people with lower incomes, as well as those who don’t have easy access to traditional financial forms of backing due to systemic barriers. In this two-day crash course, Project for Public Spaces offers a deeper look into how many public markets and advocacy organizations are changing the game for aspiring entrepreneurs, providing direct support in the form of marketing support, legal services, access to microcredit, training, and even pushing cities to create a better environment for market newcomers.