Traverse City is one of Michigan’s top tourist destinations, known for its beaches, shopping and summertime festivals. Despite its popularity for tourists, the city’s permanent population has decreased as housing on the perimeter is more affordable than that of the city center. City officials desire to attract more permanent residents to the city center, creating a 24/7 downtown. The Traverse City Markethall project seeks to create a civic building that will remain in people’s minds as a landmark and destination with the potential to catalyze resurgence in the downtown’s population. The current residents value the city’s small-town character, its agriculture economy which supports tourism and industry, as well as its proximity to the Grand Traverse Bay and Boardman River for their beauty and recreational opportunities. The design of the markethall responds to these values at three scales: the scale of the transect along Union Street which connects the city’s neighborhoods to the markethall and the bay beyond, the scale of the markethall building itself, and the scale of the interaction between people and food within the markethall.