In 2011, development group Urban Space took over an unused site in Brooklyn, New York to create a multi-use destination called Dekalb Market. The space was constructed from a collection of salvaged shipping containers, each housing different functions such as food vendors, retailers, performance space, vegetable gardens, a classroom and kitchen. They also provided space for public art, picnic tables and live music. By including a variety of uses and catering to a variety of users, Dekalb Market was able to bring together businesses with artists, nonprofits, and the community-at-large. Each plot of the vegetable garden, for instance, was maintained by a different local organization. One of these organizations, Malcolm X Grassroots, used their plots to grow vegetables for distribution to low-income areas. Additionally, the kitchen and classroom facilitated urban agriculture and culinary workshops for both children and adults. To the dismay of many Dekalb Market regulars, the space was eventually deconstructed and replaced with a previously planned retail development. The market’s flexible nature, however, means that the complex can reassemble in new spaces around Brooklyn as they arise, which also remains its biggest lesson. 

Photo credits, from left: Allison Meier via Flickr, Inhabitat Blog via Flickr, Robyn Lee via Flickr, Robyn Lee via Flickr, Inhabitat Blog via Flickr, Allison Meier via Flickr

Website: urbanspacenyc.com

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