Equity Analysis Recommendations

Many of the recommendations below have been incorporated into the process of implementation for the Madison Public Market project. Most notably, the concept of the MarketReady Program emerged from the Equity Analysis and the City worked with 30 BIPOC business owners to help prepare them to be vendors in the Public Market. The MarketReady Program, as part of the overall vendor recruitment effort, directly relates to recommendations #1, #4, and #5.

In addition, the City and the architecture team worked to carefully incorporate equity aspects of the physical design of the space to ensure that it is welcoming and inclusive. This includes incorporating civic story telling space and culturally aware and diverse design. As such, the design process followed through on recommendations #2, and #3.

The City’s Public Market Development Committee membership overlaps with the City’s Food Policy Council, and its wider mission of addressing food issues citywide. Leaders on the two committees worked to link the Public Market effort to the City’s broader efforts to address food security issues and create a stronger city and regional food system. These efforts are closely tied to recommendations #8 and #9.

As plans for the opening of the Public Market continue, the City, the Public Market Foundation, and other project stakeholders continue to review the equity recommendations and focus on their implementation. More of the recommendations will continue to come into play as the project moves toward construction and opening. 

More information on the Madison Public Market Project can be found at the Madison Public Market Foundation Webpage:
madisonpublicmarket.org

10 Recommendations from the Public Market Racial Equity and Social Justice Analysis:

As part of the Business Planning process for the Madison Public Market, the City conducted a detailed evaluation of the project using an analysis tool developed by the City's Racial Equity and Social Justice Initiative (RESJI).  This process included outreach to the community and coordination between RESJI staff and the City's Public Market Development Committee (formerly Local Food Committee).  The complete equity report can be found HERE - and a summary of the ten resulting recommendations is below.  These recommendations are helping guide the ongoing effort to implement the Public Market project. 

1. Focus on making the Public Market successful as a place for diverse startup businesses through programming focused on vendor support
2. Be culturally aware, get diverse input, and look globally for inspiration.  The physical design (layout, building materials, colors, etc.) and the "texture" of the place should be culturally aware, welcoming, and familiar to diverse cultures
3. Incorporate Civic Story Telling and Madison History through Interpretive displays about Madison's communities of color, tribal communities, immigrant communities, etc.
4. Conduct thorough and highly-personal (one-on-one) vendor outreach during the pre-opening stage.  Make sure a diverse pool of vendors know the Public Market is for them.   
5. Incorporate programming and outreach after opening to support vendors. Build in "wrap-around" services focused on vendor development and success.  
6. Hire outreach program coordinator early in the process
7. Build partnerships with other key organizations with related missions (Madison College, FEED Kitchens, UW Extension, REAP, FairShare Coalition, the UW Business Development Center, WWBIC, Madison/Dane County Public Health, the Latino Chamber, the Black Chamber, etc.)
8. Connect with other assets around the City and maintain a focus on a Market District and a city-wide food systems strategy
9. Expand focus to other parts of the City's for related food system projects including potentially additional locations for future public markets
10. Codify these recommendations into the project charter, incorporation papers, operating agreements, and/or other more formal documents that will ultimately guide the organization that implements the project and operates the public market