Chinatown Small Business Innovation Hub
Crafting a symbiotic space for small businesses and communities to thrive
Years | 2021 – ongoing
Location | New York City
Spaced Agency is proud to lead the design for Welcome to Chinatown’s Small Business Innovation Hub in Manhattan.
“Community spaces, especially ones that dually act as an innovation hub, are a magnet for redevelopment, business, job creation, networking, and economic diversity. They also help reduce disparities in access to services, training, and investment which facilitates economic growth and sustainability (Colistra 2017). If Chinatown residents and entrepreneurs can feel socioeconomically empowered, we can overcome the barriers to community autonomy and revitalize Chinatown while honoring its culture and legacy. Our Hub will fulfill a unique role in the small business ecosystem in Chinatown,” says Welcome to Chinatown.
Typologies
Community Center, Office
Status
Ongoing
Client
Welcome to Chinatown
Size
2,500 sq-ft
Team
T.K. Justin Ng
Sparsh Gandhi
Melody Chen
Rhea Jiang
Press
‘First-ever Chinatown business hub opens to empower small businesses’ | August 16, 2023 | AM New York
‘The Pandemic Showed Us How Fragile Chinatown Is’ | March 15, 2023 | Eater
Small Business Innovation Hub | March 9 | Welcome to Chinatown
Small businesses constitute 98% of Manhattan Chinatown’s economy (Chinatown BID) and the Small Business Innovation Center serves as a specialized community center, uplifting local entrepreneurs by providing a space to build multigenerational relationships, foster development through resources and training, and investing overlooked individuals that anchor Chinatown.
Taking inspiration from the well known features of Chinatown streets – street carts, winding corridors, produce-lined sidewalks – Welcome To Chinatown’s Small Business Innovation Hub recreates a thriving indoor “neighborhood” to both honour and advance the traditions of the surrounding community. The Hub recreates these familiar elements in the form of locally sourced and crafted furnishings that welcome residents and visitors alike.
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