Definitions & Differences
Explore below the definitions, similarities, and differences of:
Arts & Crafts Markets
Farmers Markets
Food Courts
Food Festivals
Food Halls
Food Markets
Public Markets
Traditional Public Markets
Arts & Crafts Markets [5, 8]
An annual or periodic celebration of culture, usually revolving around a particular historical, regional or ethnic tradition. Stalls offer locally made arts & crafts.
Stalls are usually make-shift and in an open-air field, park, or parking lot. Arts & crafts markets are usually held together with food festivals and other activities which celebrate culture, like dance, music, and performances. Larger, modern “public markets” usually have an arts & crafts market as part of their offering.
ARTS, CRAFTS, & EVENTS
VARIOUS FOOD HALLS
Farmers Markets [7, 1]
Periodically open markets which offer fresh produce.
Farmers markets are usually open on a weekly or twice weekly basis. Their operations may also depend on the season. Farmers markets are usually smaller and meant to offer more local and regional products. Stalls are either in open air lots or in covered sheds.
SALCEDO SATURDAY MARKET, MAKATI CITY
WEEKEND MARKET OFFERING FRESH PRODUCE, PLANTS, & PREPARED FOOD ITEMS
Larger farmers markets may be located in permanent covered building structures and open daily. Weekly farmers markets may be located adjacent to more permanent food halls.
Some farmers markets may have prepared food stalls and other artisanal food items. However, seating is usually make-shift, or food is prepared such that it can be eaten while walking around.
SALCEDO SATURDAY MARKET, MAKATI CITY
READY TO EAT FOOD FOR SALE
Food Courts [1, 2]
Dining areas inside malls, where prepared food items are sold.
Bought food can be eaten on-site, in centralized seating areas. Food court merchants are usually fast food outlets or restaurants which are part of a nationwide or region-wide chain. Malls provide food courts as dining options to shoppers, in addition to traditional restaurants. Merchant stalls are usually larger in size and have permanent kitchens, compared to those in food halls.
Food Festivals [11, 12]
Annual or periodic celebration of food, usually revolving around a particular historical, regional, or ethnic cuisine or tradition.
Stalls are usually make-shift and in an open-air field, park, or parking lot. Food festivals are usually held together with an arts & crafts festival and other activities which celebrate culture, like dance, music, and performances.
VARIOUS OUTDOOR FOOD FESTIVALS
AROUND THE WORLD
Food Halls [1, 2]
Covered building structures which offer “specialty” prepared food items.
Bought food can be eaten on-site, in centralized seating areas. Food hall vendors sell from small stalls which are arranged in a grid pattern. Food hall stalls usually do not have ceilings or walls and have minimal kitchen facilities.
LAYOUT OF CENTRALIZED DINING AREAS AND FOOD STALLS
VARIOUS FOOD HALLS
Vendors and stalls are usually locals or within a certain nearby geographic region. Prepared food items represent unique, local, authentic, and usually farm-to-table cuisine.
UNIQUE, LOCAL, AUTHENTIC FOOD FARE
VARIOUS FOOD HALLS
Food halls also have artisanal food items to take home, like cheese, charcuterie, wine, olive oil, honey, coffee and food-related retail outlets for kitchen products, cookbooks, herbs & spices, etc.
ARTISANAL FOOD PRODUCTS TO TAKE HOME
VARIOUS FOOD HALLS
Larger food halls have fresh meat, poultry, and seafood.
FRESH MEAT, SEAFOOD, & CHARCUTERIE STALLS
VARIOUS FOOD HALLS
They also have diners, bars, or small restaurants which have additional seating around the kitchen counter.
ADDITIONAL SEATING AROUND BARS, COUNTERS, AND IN SMALL RESTAURANTS
VARIOUS FOOD HALLS
They may also have a sprinkling of local arts, craft, & retail stalls.
ARTS, CRAFTS, FOOD RELATED ITEMS, AND OTHER PRODUCTS TO BUY
VARIOUS FOOD HALLS
Some food halls are connected with a larger permanent farmers market, in which case they are collectively referred to as a “public market.” Other food halls may be located near weekly farmers markets, held in an adjacent shed or open area.
FRESH PRODUCE SECTION
VARIOUS FOOD HALLS
Unlike food courts, food halls do not offer fast food and other nationwide restaurant brands. Older food halls boast of prepared food items which have connections to the history, tradition, or culture of the place. Newer food halls encourage unique and authentic menus which display local talent, make use of local produce, and are usually focused on a particular ethnic or regional cuisine.
Food halls may be part of a public market or may be privately owned. Newer food halls usually provide for a centralized or adjacent activity area.
Food Markets [1, 2, 4, 12]
Markets that offer the same items as food halls, including “specialty” prepared food, artisanal food items to take home, some fresh produce, and fresh meat, poultry, and seafood items.
MAKESHIFT PREPARED FOOD STALLS
VARIOUS FOOD MARKETS AROUND THE WORLD
Food markets do not have to be in covered building structures. The stalls can be located in sheds or open areas. They are usually open for a shorter period or only during weekends. Food markets in covered building structures are alternatively referred to as food halls.
Public Markets [2, 9-11]
Covered building structures which offer fresh produce and fresh meat, poultry, and seafood products.
Public market vendors sell from small stalls, arranged in a grid-like pattern. Market stalls usually do not have ceilings or walls.
SEAFOOD AND SPICE STALLS
VARIOUS PUBLIC MARKETS AROUND THE WORLD
Modern or revitalized public markets offer artisanal food items to take home, like cheese, charcuterie, wine, olive oil, honey, coffee, etc. These items are locally produced and reflect the cuisine and traditions of the geographic area. They also have “specialty” prepared food stalls and centralized areas for seating.
ARTISANAL FOOD LIKE CHARCUTERIE, NUTS, CHOCOLATES, AND OLIVES
PUBLIC MARKETS AROUND THE WORLD
Public markets are either owned by the local government, a nonprofit, or an organization of vendor merchants. Sometimes, they are part of a partnership whereby the local government owns the building while the management is handled by a nonprofit or a private corporation. The term “public” assumes that the market has ascribed community or public goals.
Traditional Public Markets [7, 12, 9, 10]
Covered building structures which usually offer only fresh produce and fresh meat, poultry, and seafood.
Market vendors sell from small stalls which are arranged in a grid pattern. These markets are usually open early in the morning and closed by early afternoon. Traditional markets generally do not offer prepared food, arts & crafts, or other food-related retail items.
FARMER’S MARKET, CUBAO, PHILIPPINES
FRESH MEAT, PRODUCE, AND SEAFOOD STALLS
Traditional markets are in decline because of: (1) suburbanization [6,9]; (2) changes in food distribution systems [4, 6] ; (3) changing consumer behavior [3, 6, 10]; and (4) market forces [6, 11, 12].
They need to be re-planned and re-purposed, to address the changing lifestyle and purchasing habits of its target market and. For example, some public markets have reconfigured their product mix to include prepared food, artisanal food items, arts & crafts, and other food-related retail items. They have, however, kept their fresh produce and meat section and collaborated with farms and nonprofits to enhance the local and organic sourcing of their products.
Given their long period of operation, traditional markets also need rehabilitation to preserve any historical structure, to renovate dilapidated areas, and to upgrade the stalls. They also need upgrades in terms of facilities, utilities, and events programming to help increase the number of visitors.
Lastly, traditional public markets also need to change, to address changes in community goals.
Sources:
'Cultivating Development, Trends, and Opportunities at the Intersection of Food and Real Estate', (Washington, DC, USA, Urban Land Institute, 2016).
'Food Halls of North America', (Cushman & Wakefield, 2018).
Karen Franck, 'Food for the City, Food in the City', Architecture Design May/June 2005 2005.
Edwin Heathcote, 'How Cities Can Harness the Power of the Market', in Financial Times (London, United Kingdom, The Financial Times Ltd., 2018).
'How to Do Creative Placemaking', ed. by Jason Ball and Don Schupback (Washington, DC, National Endowment for the Arts, 2016).
Peter Jones, David Hillier, and Daphne Comfort, 'Changing Times and Changing Places for Market Halls and Covered Markets.', International Journal of Retail & Distribution Management, Vol. 35 Issue: 3, (2007) pp.200-209.
Nancy B. Kurland and Linda S. Aleci, 'From Civic Institution to Community Place: The Meaning of the Public Market in Modern America', Agriculture and Human Values, 32 (2015), 505-21.
Ann Markusen and Anne Gadwa, 'Creative Placemaking', ed. by National Endowment for the Arts (2010).
Alfonso Morales, 'Marketplaces: Prospects for Social, Economic, and Political Development', Journal of Planning Literature, 26 (2011), 3-17.
———, 'Public Markets as Community Development Tools', Journal of Planning Education and Research, 28 (2008), 426-40.
'Public Markets as a Vehicle for Social Integration and Upward Mobility', in Phase I Report: An Overview of Existing Programs and Assessment of Opportunities (New York, New York, Project for Public Spaces, Inc. & Partners for Livable Communities, 2003).
David Studdert and Sophie Watson, Markets as Sites for Social Interaction: Spaces of Diversity, Public Spaces Series (Bristol, UK, Published for the Joseph Rowntree Foundation by Policy Press, 2006).