Abstract
This article discusses the activation declining markets as socially important public places, whose character impacts the local housing environment. It presents the maladjustment of their form and function to the requirements and preferences of contemporary society. It indicates possible directions and perspectives of renewal for markets with the activation of the surrounding environment. The description of the perspectives above was based on an analysis of conceptual proposals by students in the context of the surrounding housing and location in the city of Katowice. The works for the case study were divided into three groups: forms covered by a single, main canopy, forms with single stands, and market halls. These concepts provided an opportunity to develop variant concepts of spatial and functional forms adapted to the local context of the site. The analysed variants of solutions depict the introduction of contemporary architectural form and an attempt to fit in with the existing urban fabric and surrounding residential development as a response to user demand and expectations.