Module 6

Baltimore’s public markets are not only centers of commerce but also arenas where everyday people exercise empowered citizenship. Vendors embody entrepreneurial agency, sustaining cultural traditions through food while creating opportunities for economic self-determination. Shoppers and community advocates also shape the markets by participating in civic dialogue about redevelopment, food access, and neighborhood identity. These interactions highlight how citizens co-create spaces of belonging, connection, and resilience, demonstrating that urban livability is not imposed from above but built from the ground up. By studying these dynamics, I aim to understand how empowered citizens transform markets into more than places to buy and sell - into shared spaces of cultural exchange, civic pride, and collective identity.