Ilana Steenkamp URBAN DESIGN + PLANNING + ARCHITECTURE

Small Business Resource Center + Market, Jamaica Queens

Jamaica Queens is the connection between New York and the rest of the world. There are some major developments coming to Jamaica Queens in the form of housing, hotels and big box retail adjacent to the transit hub.

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What if the transit hub could support small businesses and provide a dynamic space for public life at the ground level?

What if we could insert public space, markets and small business support facilities the bottom of the building, and in doing so, make visible the cultural landscape of Jamaica Queens?

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The bottom of the building is given over to a market space, connecting to the circulation of the transit hub, while the upper floors provide a Small Business Resources Center, shared workspace, office space and a SIBL Library that can help to foster entrepreneurship in Jamaica Queens.