City planning expert Dan Carmody consulted with Madison’s Food Policy Council Wednesday about the economic and nutritional benefits of creating an urban public food market.
Carmody, manager of Detroit’s successful Eastern Market, which opened in 1891, said a public market in Madison would create jobs and increase Madison’s average household income by “re-localizing” the food economy, and would therefore be self-sustaining.
“Any edgy public market that wants to create itself needs to move beyond just having a really sexy place to go buy fruits and vegetables to being a motor for economic development,” he said.
According to Carmody, “metropolitan food hubs” can also enhance the overall health of the population by increasing education and spreading awareness about nutrition and food.
“We’re not going to change habits just by letting our healthcare people do it or our schools do it,” he said. “It’s got to be this conversation, this engagement we have about this issue.”
The Food Policy Council is in the process of drafting a plan to move forward with the project, which includes a study of feasible locations, possible funding options and the most efficient way to collect public input.
A public market would provide residents with the opportunity to take full advantage of the agricultural resources in and around Madison by “creating a way for the metro area to embrace food,” according to Carmody.
“There are a lot of places with bad access to good food,” he said.
