The Public Grocery Playbook: What City Leaders Need to Know

At a time when cities across the country are facing an affordability crisis and communities are struggling to find healthy, culturally relevant food options for their families, a new solution is gaining momentum: public grocery stores.  

With recent headlines celebrating Atlanta’s opening of Azalea Market, Chicago’s plans to develop a network of publicly-supported markets, and New York City’s announcements of La Marqueta and the Peninsula as initial municipal grocery store sites, public grocery is emerging as a powerful tool for mayors and their teams to tackle food insecurity. Done well, it can expand food access in underserved communities, create local jobs, and anchor neighborhood economies for the long term. But this new model raises real questions: What makes a grocery store public? How do you develop a public grocery store to meet your city’s unique needs? Where do you start? What do you need to create a sustainable business model that will serve communities long-term? 

This panel, organized by HR&A Advisors, Local Progress, Mayors for America, and the Mayors Innovation Project, will convene leading voices — mayoral staff, advisors, and advocates — to share what they are learning and help cities understand what it takes to get started. Panelists will explore the full range of options available to cities, from flexible interventions that can be piloted quickly to the longer-term process of planning and opening standalone stores. Whether your city is large or small, well-resourced or working with limited capacity, this conversation is designed to help you take the next step.

Speakers: 

• Deandra Khan, Senior Advisor for Strategic Initiatives, New York City Office of the Deputy Mayor for Economic Justice 
• Katie Molla, Deputy Chief of Staff, City of Atlanta   
• Ruby Ferguson, Senior Director of Community Engagement, Greater Chicago Food Depository; Food Policy Lead, City of Chicago 
• Ivan Luevanos-Elms, Executive Director, Local Progress  
• Katya Spear, Managing Director, Mayors Innovation Project
• Andrea Batista Schlesinger, Managing Partner, HR&A Advisors, Inclusive Cities Practice 

Event Partners:  

HR&A Advisors
Mayors Innovation Project
Mayors for America
Local Progress
 

Register here.