Adaptive Reuse

Reasons for Implementing Adaptive Reuse

Public and private entities have significant purposes for engaging in adaptive reuse projects. Curbing urban sprawl by reducing the number of new structures on the outskirts of communities is one of the most convincing reasons for implementing adaptive reuse strategies. This type of plan is particularly attractive to communities in which available land is scarce. In implementing such an approach, cities reinforce the importance of existing structures that are linked to the area's cultural heritage. Moreover, cities make a point of showcasing these reused buildings as key components of greater redevelopment efforts.

Older unused properties have prohibitive social costs. Many times, older buildings may have little or no value in their current condition. Subsequently, these buildings may become abandoned and run down, attracting vandals, homeless, arsonists, and drug dealers. This results in decreased property values, tax revenues, and services provided to a metropolitan area's residents. In the long term, this discourages investment in a community. By reinvesting in existing buildings, cities have the potential to revitalize blighted areas while creating construction jobs for inner-city residents, as well as an improved visual environment.

The environmental impacts of advocating adaptive reuse can be evidenced in the reduction of construction and demolition debris that results from the destruction of older buildings and the construction of new ones. Overall, waste generated through construction and [Page 5]demolition activities accounts for roughly half of all landfill waste in U.S. landfills, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. In addition, it has been estimated that rehabilitation costs associated with adaptive reuse are between 15 and 20 percent less than comparable new construction, even when problems such as asbestos exist. Adaptive reuse projects also have been found to have an economic multiplier effect within communities, in that more jobs are created by retrofitting projects of a certain dollar amount than by similarly priced new construction projects. Extending the useful life of existing buildings instead of constructing new ones minimizes the use of new building materials, the energy required to produce and transport those materials, and the energy required for construction.

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