Reusing Empty Big Boxes

Sometimes big box retailers get too big for the boxes they're in. So they move. What's left behind are huge empty buildings -- and opportunities for re-use.

1 minute read

October 24, 2008, 9:00 AM PDT

By Nate Berg

"Across the country, communities are turning abandoned big-box stores like Kmart and Wal-Mart into churches, schools, libraries - even museums devoted to everything from Spam to Route 66."

"Julia Christensen, an artist and professor at Oberlin College, crisscrossed the country to find out how these sprawling structures are being repurposed."

"Christensen says she's not interested in finding fault with the owners of big boxes. She's operating on the assumption that they're here to stay. Instead, she wants to focus on what people do with them when they're abandoned."

FULL STORY: Once A Wal-Mart: The New Lives Of Big Boxes

Monday, October 20, 2008 in NPR

Community / Economic Development United States Adaptive Reuse Big Box

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Get top-rated, practical training

Start Learning

Advertise with us

Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools

This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.