From Terminal to Table – The Food Wire

New York City’s over-reliance on a single distribution center located in a flood-prone zone puts food access for 8 million people at risk. From Terminal to Table imagines a decentralized food network that improves access to affordable, healthy food in food deserts, while strengthening the resilience of the city’s food distribution system. By adapting the planned Interborough Express (IBX) into a multi-use rail line carrying both passengers and food, we address the city’s over-reliance on the flood-prone Hunts point distribution center and diversify the methods of transporting fresh produce. Across the IBX, we propose interventions at the first, middle, and last mile. By introducing a second major distribution hub at the Brooklyn Army Terminal, alongside neighborhood-scale storage and vendor-based last-mile distribution, the system redistributes food access across Brooklyn’s underserved communities. Framing food as essential urban infrastructure, the proposal positions Brooklyn as a model for equitable, community-driven, and climate-adaptive food systems.