The Placemaking Round-Up
A biweekly newsletter with public space news, resources, and opportunities.
The Biweekly Bazaar
A curated dispatch on all things public markets plus the latest announcements from the Market Cities Program.
A biweekly newsletter with public space news, resources, and opportunities.
A curated dispatch on all things public markets plus the latest announcements from the Market Cities Program.
In 2008, Cedar Rapids was hit with a massive flood that devastated 10-square-miles of the city's downtown. After the disaster, a group of concerned citizens asked Project for Public Spaces to help create a new public market to bring the city's core back to life and create a regional destination.
To begin, Project for Public Spaces conducted an in-depth market analysis of the local food scene and hosted informational meetings to gather insight from potential vendors. Broader community engagement enabled Project for Public Spaces to produce a program of year-round activities sustained by community buy-in. To support site selection, the team developed a detailed set of criteria that included both indoor and outdoor spaces.
The year-round public market opened in 2012 at a former warehouse site and is the cornerstone of the flood-impacted NewBo neighborhood. This $4.25 million project's centerpiece is the Rotary Hall, which features over 20 permanent tenants, space for temporary food and high-end craft vendors, an event space, a commercial kitchen, and a wholesale distribution space. An outdoor area complements the indoor market with room for over 150 seasonal vendors and other activities. The NewBo City Market has created a central meeting place for downtown Cedar Rapids and has led to its neighborhood revitalization.
Public Market Services
Place Evaluation & User Analysis
Programming
