Planning and the Self-Organization of MarketplacesJournal of Planning Education and Research

The number of marketplaces in the United States is growing rapidly. This growth belies the long history of marketplaces and signals their reemergence as tools of planning practice. This article examines ways to plan marketplaces and how those strategies can help achieve various direct and indirect objectives of merchants, planners, and other professionals. The empirical case involves Chicago’s Maxwell Street Market and how merchants in this large, ethnically heterogeneous public market self-organized the allocation of vending space. The article concludes with implications for public participation in public service provision, planning, and community economic development.