RECreate Market Street
While work, shopping, and dining are increasingly going online, hobbies remain inherently human, as their core value lies in the act of doing something for fulfillment and in-person with others.
RECreate Market Street offers a timely, new economic development strategy and public space vision that builds upon the success of experiential retail by advancing businesses selling activities and recreation, rather than just products.
Downtown land use has traditionally focused on office, retail, and housing. But we are missing an opportunity to think of a new use for these buildings and our public spaces. RECreate Market presents a new land use and theme of recreation along all of Market Street. Market Street can build upon adjacent neighborhoods’ cultural, hospitality, and recreational institutions, and thrive anew as a place for artists and athletes, bars and book clubs, day and night.
Office workers, shoppers, and tourists can no longer be counted onto fill Market Street’s millions of empty square feet, and AI and the federal government are adding uncertainty to the future. RECreateMarket Street demonstrates that recreation and hobbies — time-tested activities that nurture our souls — resist digital replacement and repeatedly engage people in group activities. With businesses and public spaces that connect people of all ages and socio-economic status, RECreate Market Street will simultaneously address the vacant space crisis, provide opportunities for small business, foster human connection, and provide a new programmatic theme for public spaces along Market Street.These businesses aren’t just selling a one-and-done experience, but rather hobbies that tap into a repeated, long-term desire for self-mastery, skill development, and connection with like-minded enthusiasts. This strategy is particularly suited to Market Street's expansive sidewalks and voluminous building interiors, as many hobbies, from climbing to creative production and gardening, need large-scale, centrally located spaces that are easily accessible.
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