Public versus private: Barcelona's market system, 1868-1975

The more economically advanced countries of post-World War II Europe experienced a progressive erosion of the public market system as a result of the adoption of more modern commercial formulas. In Spain, however, the public market system not only continued but expanded significantly. Barcelona was an outstanding example of this. The city had built an important public system of markets by the end of the nineteenth century. Later on, in the Francoist era, after a second construction wave of markets, there were even plans to use the markets as an urban planning tool. This essay examines the process in which the city had to choose between public and private initiatives and makes an assessment of the impact of the public market system on the city.