Retrofit

State infrastructure funding and an urban renewal designation are overcoming the challenges of a failed mall transformation in Western New York.
It’s no secret that large numbers of US malls are in deep trouble, having lost anchor tenants, and many of them are in foreclosure. In his 10th Anniversary edition of Walkable City, Jeff Speck reports that “Fully a quarter of US malls aren’t...
Doral, known for a golf course and sprawl, has partnered with a developer to create a walkable downtown on the site of a former nondescript office park, reusing existing infrastructure.
In the Capitol East District, the City of Madison has created a model for redeveloping a commercial strip highway.
Downtown Westminster in Westminster, Colorado, is the redevelopment of a former mall into a walkable center, led by the city. Torti Gallas + Partners won a Merit Award in the Neighborhood, District, and Corridor category of the 2023 CNU Charter...
CNU and affiliated designers visited a sprawling part of Charlotte to plan the transition of a 16-acre shopping center into a mixed-use center, with connections to a major university—UNCC. Temporary public space drives suburban retrofit.
Cities and states offer incentives for developers to convert offices to living spaces, which could have a profound impact on downtowns, employment districts, and office parks.
The rethinking of a conventional office park, Carmel Gateway is the latest big idea to be proposed in Carmel, Indiana, the city of roundabouts.
Conventional suburbs are cities that have grown obese. We need processes for reusing their worn-out parts and creating something of higher value.
The US may see 100,000 churches close, and this issue could help determine the success or failure of many downtowns and neighborhoods over the next three to four decades. The skills of urbanists are needed.
New urbanists need to recharge their commitment to a "micro-heroic" remapping of mid-century America—where immigrants, workers, and minorities now struggle to build sustainable communities.
Amherst, New York, is a municipality to watch for those who are tracking suburban retrofit—the idea of re-purposing automobile-oriented suburban areas for new uses in the 21st Century. Amherst is the largest suburb in the Buffalo region, and home to...