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.

Just mention the new Central Bus Station to your average Tel Avivi — and not just them, for that matter — and the immediate, almost instinctive response, is one of sheer disgust. No one really goes there, and large parts of the building aren’t used at all. The promising architectural landmark, which opened its doors in 1993, has become a code word for municipal negligence. Built right in the middle of the Neve Shaanan neighborhood in southern Tel Aviv, the huge, seven-story complex was intended as a vibrant commercial center and national transportation hub. Very soon, however, it became clear that the planning of the new bus station was faulty, so that even today many parts of it are not being used at all. The way that it was split into levels is not conducive to bus traffic, and the building itself is the source of social, economic and environmental damage in an already troubled neighborhood. Tens of thousands of people still pass through the bus station every day, but most of the building lies abandoned, and the businesses that still operate there are considered low-end. Some of them are even questionable. The human landscape is relatively poor, too, consisting mainly of migrant workers and residents of the neighborhood.

“The building was plopped down in the heart of a residential neighborhood. It is a white elephant, detrimental to the surrounding area and the people who live nearby,” Deputy Mayor Asaf Zamir said. In 2013, the City of Tel Aviv approved a master plan that would rezone the building so that it would no longer serve as a bus station. It would be transformed into a commercial and residential complex that even includes hotels. Meanwhile, however, the Central Bus Station remains just the way it was: desperate, derelict and violent.