Land Use Gifts: Holiday Markets

'Tis the season for holiday markets, they are full of sparkle and wanderlust. If you know, you know. If you haven't been to one yet, know they bring a new dimension to the holiday shopping experience and to their host cities.

Growing up in Southern California I didn't really know much about holiday markets, or that they were even a thing that brought the magic of the season to life. It wasn't until my first year in college in New York City that I learned about the enchanting allure of holiday markets during my first visit to the Union Square Holiday Market.

The layout of the market and the vendors completely transformed Union Square Park and made it the perfect escape from studying for finals. It was no longer just one of the most popular city parks in the City, it had become a vibrant outdoor market where the vendors and customer buzz muted the cold winter chilly nights and led you down rows of captivating treasures. Part of the draw for my 18 year-old self was that I knew it was a "New Yorker" thing to do and it also presented the opportunity to score an array of novel yet affordable gifts that were uniquely "New York."

It was there that I bought my first pair of cashmere lined leather gloves from an artisan seller with a fierce lineup of gloves. I can't remember how much I paid for the gloves, but I do remember feeling like I had gotten a deal worth bragging about. That first trip was all I needed to make me a believer in the charm of holiday markets.

Holiday markets have been around for centuries in Europe, way before the modern day American urban planning discipline was conceived in the early 1900s. However, with the rise of farmers markets in U.S. cities since the USDA began tracking them in 1994, more and more U.S. cities are also turning to this special placemaking tool in the urban planning tool box to boost holiday charm in their cities. Like farmers markets, the real upside of holiday markets is their ability to bring in a lot of extra foot traffic and sales tax dollars, and they are also a great opportunity for small businesses.

There's a lot of varialibility when it comes to holiday markets and depending on the city they can come in all shapes and sizes. If you're wondering how you can get a holiday market going in your area, they aren't that hard from a land use perspective. They are almost what I would call a land use gift because they are often either a conditional allowable use or they can be allowed via a special events permit to operate for a day or a series of days during the holiday season.

Here is a list of some other holiday markets around the globe that are setting the aspirational standards for others. The list is in no order of preference, instead it is organized by the earliest seasonal opening date:

• Winter Village at Bryant Park, New York - runs from October 27 to March 3

• Wiener Christkindlmarkt, Austria - runs from November 10 to December 26

• Hyde Park Winter Wonderland, London - runs from November 17 to January 1

• Christkindlmarket Chicago - runs from November 17 to December 24

• I Mercati Natale, Piazza Santa Croce, Florence - runs from November 18 to December 17

• Basel Christmas Market, Switzerland - runs from November 23 to December 23

• Fira de Santa Llucia, Barcelona - runs from November 24 to December 23

• Strasbourg Christmas Market, France - runs from November 24 to December 24

• Gendarmenmarkt, Germany - runs from November 27 to December 31

• Christkindlesmarkt, Germany - runs from December 1 to December 24