Italian industrial designer Marco Ferrara transformed Rome's Mercato Centrale into a "Living Market" through modular furniture and interactive displays. His "Market Mosaic" system uses interlocking wooden planks that visitors can rearrange to create seating, vendor stalls, or stage areas. Embedded NFC tags provide real-time information about produce origins, while solar-powered misting systems cool communal areas.

Ferrara's design increased market foot traffic by 80%, with 40% of visitors reporting new social connections. The adaptable furniture is now used in 17 European markets, with Barcelona's La Boqueria adopting the system to host weekly cultural festivals. Ferrara's work was recognized by the European Design Awards as "Best Public Space Intervention."

"This is design as social activism," Ferrara stated. His prototype for Milan's future food hubs includes rainwater-harvesting canopies and mushroom-based compostable packaging.