Creative Ways to Activate Roofless Buildings and Vacant Lots

When a building roof collapses, whether from age and neglect, a natural disaster, or other causes, buildings and lots often sit vacant and underused for years.

In a piece for Strong Towns, Becky McCray highlights various ways that cities and groups can repurpose roofless buildings.

Most commonly, cities install pocket parks in these locations, but McCray points out that these often go underused. “Try cheap and temporary setups to see what people in your town will actually use. This is important because I’ve seen a lot of pocket parks in small towns, but I’ve very, very, very rarely seen a person actually using one, and I’ve never seen a group or a crowd enjoying a pocket park.”

McCray’s suggestions include adding ample seating and picnic tables to parklets to encourage family and group outings and making the space more inviting with amenities such as public restrooms, games, and art.

For McCray, the key to activating vacant spaces is providing comfort, amenities, activities — or ideally a combination of the above that encourages people to come, stay, and interact.

Vacant lots can bring in revenue, too: “Rent the space to a nearby eatery for outdoor seating during the nice-weather season,” McCray suggests, or offer it for use by farmers’ markets, artisans, and special events.