U.S. News

In a bid to confront mounting food insecurity, the City of Chicago announced last year that it was exploring the creation of a municipally-owned grocery store, an unprecedented move for a major American city. The proposal was a response to the persistent exodus of private grocers from the city’s South and West Sides, where decades of disinvestment have left entire neighborhoods with few reliable options for fresh, affordable food.

But by February, the city shifted course. Citing difficulties in securing a qualified operator, a requirement for state funding, officials under Mayor Brandon Johnson revealed that the city will instead pursue a public market. The new plan envisions a space that provides basic groceries while supporting local farmers and small vendors.

For now, it is grassroots, community-driven markets that are filling the void. Often under-resourced but deeply embedded in their neighborhoods, these efforts have proved to be among the most nimble and enduring responses to a crisis that large grocery chains have repeatedly failed to address.