From small towns to big cities, abandoned buildings are everywhere. Whether they’re former factories whose production went overseas or religious spaces that are no longer active, unused structures are visible in a variety of locations. 

But as a housing shortage and desire for new development continues to reign supreme, the decision to repurpose these abandoned spaces into something new and innovative is growing. 

From housing and entertainment venues to luxury spaces, abandoned properties are entering a renaissance. Simply put, everything old is new again, and in many ways, it’s even better. 

Creating Homes

Across the world, a housing shortage has made becoming a homeowner extremely challenging. With supply so low but demand so high, people are actively looking for alternative ways to forge the path to homeownership. 

Repurposing abandoned properties into new housing is an increasingly popular, forward-thinking process that’s growing for all facets of the housing market, whether it’s high-end, affordable, or meant for those dealing with homelessness. 

At the far end of the spectrum, you’ll find luxury transformations like the abandoned Indianapolis baseball stadium that was converted into 138 luxury apartments. 

There’s also significant work being done in the affordable realm. For instance, abandoned properties in Europe are viewed as a new frontier for affordable housing. Located within cities and towns with strong connections to amenities like transportation, services and social amenities, the creation of housing is seen as a way to connect people with their communities. Since the buildings are abandoned and have adaptable spatial structures, they’re seen as ripe for conversion, ArchDaily reported.

The work of transforming abandoned properties into housing for formerly unhoused people is also a powerful movement. In Oregon, the increasing unhoused population sparked a program known as Project Turnkey, a state-funded initiative that invested millions of dollars to renovate abandoned buildings into shelters and manage them to address the homelessness issue. The program was ultimately incredibly successful, with an analysis of the project’s impact finding that the properties were steering people to permanent housing at higher rates than any other shelter type in the state. By taking abandoned spaces and turning them into housing, Oregon forged a new path for a greater good. 

A Life of Luxury

LVMH, one of the world’s most famous luxury brands, saw a struggling district in Miami as an opportunity. Previously, Miami’s Design District was  filled with a “dozen blocks consisting of squat, single-story concrete warehouses, furniture showrooms, and empty lots.” In response, the team of LVMH created a neighborhood that mixed 30 acres of retail with outdoor sculptures and murals. In 2023, the Design District’s foot traffic jumped 47%, according to Placer.ai data analyzed by CBRE research. 

“The once-shabby neighborhood has emerged as one of the world’s most popular luxury hubs,” the WSJ reported. 

LVMH isn’t alone in their work in the luxury realm. Former WWII nuclear bunkers have been transformed into all sorts of luxury creative spaces, including farms, nightclubs, and apartments. You’ll even find an abandoned swimming pool in Edinburgh that’s on its way to becoming luxury housing. 

And in former shopping malls across the country, luxury pickleball courts are transforming vacant anchor stores into vibrant sports and social venus. In fact, about 130 new pickleball courts are being added nationwide each month, according to USA Pickleball.

A Home for Cultural and Entertainment 

Cultural spaces are injecting new life into abandoned buildings. On Detroit’s East Side, The Shepherd, a project from the city’s Library Street Collective, works to blur lines between presenting art, creating community space, developing real estate, and giving new life to abandoned buildings. Formerly a Romaneseque-style church, the Shepherd has expanded to reignite the vibrancy in an entire neighborhood.  

A few blocks away, Lantern is another recently opened project that combines culture, commerce, and gathering space that was originally a commercial bakery from the early 1900s. Inside, you’ll find two arts nonprofits, a beer bar, a cafe, a fashion boutique, a recording studio, and artists on residencies, Fast Company reports.

In Kansas City, an abandoned bridge is becoming an entire entertainment district. Once a railroad bridge used to transport cattle from nearby stockyards, it’s now becoming a combination event center, restaurants and dining hub, and trail that will create 35,000 square feet of public space above the waterway, Fast Company shared. This is just another strong example of how revolutionary thinking can take spaces that appear to be useless, and transform them into exciting new experiences. 

Some of the most talented, sought-after architects in the world are currently hard at work to adapt abandoned spaces into exciting new vessels of opportunity. Whether they’re creating housing, establishing exciting new luxury spaces, or creating spots for experiencing arts and culture, this ability to look beyond what exists and create something new is incredibly special. 

As companies look toward the future, they can play a significant hand in the eventual evolution of cities and towns across the world.