Markets have always been a part of human civilizations. Although they are primarily places for trade, public markets offer a unique platform for social and cultural interactions for people while going about their routines. Public markets in Kenya have been neglected together with their planning, design and construction. This has resulted in the low and middle-income sections of the population resorting to informal markets, which fill in for the public markets.
At the same time, the existing public markets have become chaotic, congested and inefficient. This study has assessed the spatial organization and circulation patterns of selected public markets located within small urban centres in Kenya. The effects these markets’ spatial organization have on their operation and immediate neighbourhood have been analysed. The results of the study indicate that specific market design and planning approaches can greatly reduce conflict of use both within the market itself and with its immediate neighbourhood.