I'm Excited about the Future of the Suburbs
While reading the article Retrofitting the Suburbs, I couldn't help but feel excited to be an architect. Thinking about how existing strip malls can be transformed by us, architects. These things that have been made to feel like the bane of our existence. Why not? Why can't the old circuit city building be a school? How can we change the scale of it? Make it part of the neighborhood instead of separated from it?
I think this article takes architects off of a "better than the rest platform" and says, we have the intelligence and creativity, why can't we transform instead of tear down the strip mall? Maybe it gives us permission to do that.
The thing is, this has been happening all around us already and we've ignored it. Hospitals have been moving into empty K-marts to fulfill a neighborhood need. Churches have been incredibly creative, I've seen them in every scale of storefront, box store, house possible. I've seen gyms in old Macy's stores. I have to wonder when architects will start embracing this method of urbanism and what it might look like when we get a hold of it. I think a lot of what has been happening is mostly inwardly focused with some exterior signage renovation, but I think a lot could happen once re-designs take into account improving an urban fabric and not just providing a face lift.
I think this article takes architects off of a "better than the rest platform" and says, we have the intelligence and creativity, why can't we transform instead of tear down the strip mall? Maybe it gives us permission to do that.
The thing is, this has been happening all around us already and we've ignored it. Hospitals have been moving into empty K-marts to fulfill a neighborhood need. Churches have been incredibly creative, I've seen them in every scale of storefront, box store, house possible. I've seen gyms in old Macy's stores. I have to wonder when architects will start embracing this method of urbanism and what it might look like when we get a hold of it. I think a lot of what has been happening is mostly inwardly focused with some exterior signage renovation, but I think a lot could happen once re-designs take into account improving an urban fabric and not just providing a face lift.
new office space inside a mall
new worship center in a mall
a church in a strip mall
a hospital takes over as a mall tenant
a kroger grocery turned into a school
I agree, tackling strip malls will be an interesting opportunity for architecture to become more meaningful in suburbia. This proves a counterpoint to the Junkspace topic, in which these spaces are re-imagined as better public spaces. When I was young, Asheville had two malls one was noticeably nicer than the other but unfortunately it failed sometime after the financial crisis. After being abandoned for several years it finally was adapted to be an outdoor outlet mall. Most of the mall was maintained except that it became open-air between stores. The mall is alive once again, I think it is a missed opportunity however to add multifamily housing and businesses.
ReplyDeleteI think we are going to see a shift in the next decade or so as developers and architects begin working together in a more seamless fashion. I hope that this movement will not only repurpose vacant buildings but also add more beauty and innovation into the suburbs. The sustainability aspect us in a way we haven't seen yet. How can we persuade developers to support a sustainable initiative?
ReplyDeleteI agree with Libby. With the looming environmental crisis we face today, I think we will begin to see a greater shift within our profession to try and salvage and revive the structures and spaces that have simply been neglected. This actually reminds me of a lot of the work I did while interning in Charleston at Synchronicity.
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