Chicago will pursue a network of indoor, year-round public markets under a Market City executive order Mayor Brandon Johnson signed October 22, 2026. The Chicago public market plan pairs those markets with support for farmers markets and food entrepreneurs, with the South Side’s 51 percent household food insecurity rate framing the need.
Key Takeaways
- The executive order establishes a steering committee of city departments and community members to carry out the Market City Action Plan.
- The city’s strategy calls for a coordinated network of farmers markets, indoor year-round public markets, neighborhood food hubs and other community-based market models.
- The plan was developed over the past year with the Chicago Food Equity Council, the Greater Chicago Food Depository, residents, entrepreneurs, farmers and market operators.
- The Greater Chicago Food Depository’s 2026 report found food insecurity at 51 percent on the South Side, 45 percent on the West Side and 41 percent on the Southwest Side, compared with 20 percent on the North Side.
- No market locations, operators or funding amounts have been announced.
Market City Executive Order Creates a Steering Committee to Carry Out the Plan
The executive order signed October 22 moves Chicago’s Market City Action Plan from planning into implementation. It sets up a steering committee that brings together city departments and community members, giving the effort a standing body responsible for turning the plan’s goals into specific projects.
The plan itself took shape over the past year. The city developed it with the Chicago Food Equity Council, a cross-sector body created in 2021 to address food access, along with the Greater Chicago Food Depository and community stakeholders, including residents, entrepreneurs, farmers and market operators.
Chicago Public Market Plan Builds a Network, Not a Single Store
The Market City approach marks a change in strategy. The city first explored a city-owned grocery store in 2023, then shifted in 2025 toward a public market that would sell staples alongside space for local farmers and food sellers. The current plan widens that idea into a system. According to the city, the strategy calls for a coordinated network of farmers markets, indoor year-round public markets, neighborhood food hubs and other community-based market models.
A network carries a practical advantage over a single building. A grocery store depends on one location and thin margins to succeed. A mix of markets and food hubs can spread access across neighborhoods, operate on different schedules and give small vendors a place to start. The tradeoff is coordination: a network needs sustained management, which is the job the new steering committee is meant to take on.
Food Insecurity in Chicago Concentrates on the South and West Sides
The need behind the plan is documented in the Greater Chicago Food Depository’s 2026 hunger report, produced with NORC at the University of Chicago and based on a June survey of 1,200 residents. The report found that more than one in three Chicago households lack consistent access to enough food.
The gaps are sharpest by region. Food insecurity reached 51 percent on the South Side, 45 percent on the West Side and 41 percent on the Southwest Side, compared with 27 percent on the Northwest Side and 20 percent on the North Side. Those same areas have lost grocery options recently, and the city has already moved to fill some of the gap, including free grocery rides for seniors after seven Save A Lot stores closed on the South and West Sides. The Market City plan is a longer-term answer to the same problem.
Farmers Markets Chicago Vendors Already Use Are Part of the Network
The plan builds on markets that already operate across the city. Under city rules, independent farmers markets can register with the Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events at no cost. Markets that need street closures, curb lane parking, tents larger than 400 square feet or stages taller than two feet must apply for a special events permit.
Including existing farmers markets in the strategy matters for vendors. Growers and small food businesses who already sell at neighborhood markets are positioned to benefit first from any new support, before an indoor market is built.
Locations, Operators and Funding for a Chicago Public Market Remain Open
The order sets the structure, but the specifics are still to come. The city has not announced where indoor public markets would be located, who would run them or how much funding the effort will receive. The steering committee’s first recommendations will show whether the network starts with new buildings or with support for markets already serving the South and West Sides.
FAQs
What is a public market?
A public market is a shared marketplace, often supported by a city or nonprofit, where independent vendors sell food and goods under one roof or at one site. Chicago’s plan envisions year-round indoor markets as part of a broader network of food access points.
What is Chicago’s Market City plan?
Chicago’s Market City Action Plan is a food access strategy built around a coordinated network of farmers markets, indoor year-round public markets, neighborhood food hubs and other community-based markets. An executive order signed October 22, 2026, created a steering committee to implement it.
Where will Chicago’s public markets be located?
The city has not announced locations for indoor public markets. The plan focuses on improving food access, and the highest food insecurity rates are on the South, West and Southwest Sides.
How many Chicago households face food insecurity?
More than one in three Chicago households lack consistent access to enough food, according to the Greater Chicago Food Depository’s 2026 report. Rates reach 51 percent on the South Side.
How do farmers markets register in Chicago?
Independent farmers markets can register with the city’s Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events for free. Markets that need street closures, curb lane parking or large tents and stages must apply for a special events permit.
