Over the years, with declining student enrollment and big budget cuts, many school districts are closing schools. Sometimes districts lease old buildings out to charter schools, businesses, or nonprofit organizations, but often the buildings simply sit empty and fall into disrepair. One organization has a plan to change that.
GOOD, the integrated media platform for people who want to live well and do good, had an idea. In an effort to “Repurpose” abandoned schools, GOOD readers were asked to imagine a way to repurpose an abandoned school building so that the space once again serves the needs of its community.
Caroline Hadilaksono came up with the idea of a Farm to Table Urban Food Center that creates “an all-in-one ecosystem for food, where members of a community would be able to grow, prepare, distribute, and consume food, all in one place” says Hadilaksono on the GOOD website.
The plan would include an outdoor urban farm; forward-thinking indoor hydroponic farms and vertical gardens; a for-profit cafe, farmer’s market, and produce store; and a nonprofit kitchen for feeding the homeless community. Classroom space would be used to educate the public on cooking, nutrition and agriculture classes.
Our photo gallery of Abandoned Schools around the United States offers a bunch of candidates for what looks to be a great repurposing idea.
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