Barcelona boasts a network of public markets consisting of 40 municipal facilities located around the city. In 1992, through the Municipal Institute of Barcelona Markets, the City Council launched a plan to update Barcelona's markets. This plan promotes the redevelopment of market buildings, adapting them to the general public's new needs and demands and making them more comfortable for shopping and the services offered by retailers.
"Urbact Markets: heart, soul and motor of cities" is the title of the publication issued by Mercats de Barcelona for the meeting organised in Barcelona at the conclusion of the Urbact Markets European project to promote urban markets, in which several cities and regions took part: Attica (Greece), Dublin (Ireland), Westminster (United Kingdom), Turin (Italy), Suceava (Romania), Toulouse (France), Wrocław (Poland), Pécs (Hungary) and Barcelona.
Result of a conference organized by the MUHBA, the Historical Archive of the City and Barcelona Markets, this booklet examines the role of municipal government in providing basic food and price suppression.