Skip to main content

Tel Aviv bus station becomes creative hotspot

A group of talented young designers have decided to take on the neglected eyesore that is Tel Aviv’s Central Bus Station, and by experimenting with urban agriculture and innovation they are showing that even this concrete monster can flourish.
Tel Aviv Bus Station 5.jpg

It certainly was one of the stranger moments in the history of Tel Aviv’s new Central Bus Station. On Nov. 20, dozens of people wandered the corridors of the enormous structure, infamous for being difficult to navigate in. These people had maps in their hands, wondering which way to turn next. But they weren’t trying to catch a bus. They were trying to find the best route between plants hanging in the air, commercial spaces that had been transformed into enormous art installations, and dancers challenging gravity on diagonal concrete railings. It was all part of an exhibit called “The Next Station,” combining art, agriculture and micro-ecosystems throughout the new bus station.

The dissonance was undeniable. On one hand, there were these upbeat, trendy events that were the result of an ambitious project by the “Onya” collective, a group of artists and designers, architects and activists that describes itself as an “Urban Environment Nursery.” On the other hand, there was the drab, miserable day-to-day life of the Central Bus Station, known as a magnet for migrant workers, disadvantaged people and crime. The result is incredible.

Access the Middle East news and analysis you can trust

Join our community of Middle East readers to experience all of Al-Monitor, including 24/7 news, analyses, memos, reports and newsletters.

Subscribe

Only $100 per year.