Bodega in New York City by Art Meadow

Article source: Matthew Hoffman

Historically, bodegas have served as social gathering centers for neighborhoods, going far beyond super markets and grocery stores by offering informal services like jobs connections and advice on finding apartments. Unfortunately, New York City’s bodegas have been closing by the hundreds over the past few years, not being able to compete with big chain stores like CVS and Duane Reade. Business Insider published a startling statistic that “in 2010 on a 33-block stretch of Broadway alone there were 137 store closures.”

Image Courtesy Art Meadow

• Architects: Art Meadow
• Project: Bodega
• Location: New York City

Image Courtesy Art Meadow

“By mashing together the bodega and the NYC subway system, it’s possible to reimagine both,” says Hoffman, “and create a whole new space for socializing, gossiping, and shopping – all while commuting, turning New Yorker’s least favorite activity into the most memorable.”

Where can we find a new home for bodegas and reinvigorate them as social hubs?

Image Courtesy Art Meadow

The interesting thing is that we as New Yorkers are closest together in the subway, and yet subway cars are actually the most unsocial spaces in the city – everyone does their best to ignore each other.

Image Courtesy Art Meadow

BQDEGA mashes the two together – creating a bodega within a NYC subway car – to be inserted on any of the MTA lines. By inserting a bodega into a subway car, it is possible to recreate that social engine that used to be the center of bodegas, and also improve the NYC subway by offering a new mobile place to shop, gossip and gather.

Image Courtesy Art Meadow

Image Courtesy Art Meadow

Tags: New York City

Categories: City Center, Market, Social Centre

This entry was posted on Wednesday, September 19th, 2012 at 5:47 am. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.