Retrofitting the Big Box to Create Spaces the Seacoast Needs

May 25, 2021 | 7:00pm

Venue :Virtual

How can a mall or office park or other unused commercial spaces be retrofitted to meet our region’s needs? Imagine converting these types of buildings into affordable housing or retrofitting these areas to reduce our dependence on cars while increasing water and energy resilience.

Picture a retrofit of a mall that creates an inviting space for young people and also welcomes those who want to age in place in their community.
Architect, author and urbanist Ellen Dunham-Jones will discuss how the sprawling commercial infrastructure of the 20th century such as malls, big box stores, office parks and oversized parking lots can be retrofitted to innovatively address these urgent issues, as well as climate change.

Ellen Dunham-Jones is a professor of architecture and directs the urban design degree at the Georgia Institute of Technology. She was voted one of the world’s 100 most influential urbanists by Planetizen and hosts the Redesigning Cities podcast. She is the author most recently of Case Studies in Retrofitting Suburbia: Urban Design Strategies for Urgent Challenges.

Presented by
Portsmouth Smart Growth

Sponsored by
New Hampshire Housing
Workforce Housing Coalition of the Greater Seacoast
Plan NH
Piscataqua Savings Bank

PHA Housing Development

Partners
3S Artspace