Industrialized sites are being reimagined around the world as revitalized spaces that showcase creativity in changing times. This collective repurposing acts as a sort of shedding of skin. The stalwarts of yesteryear — from defunct coal plants to war-time factories or desolate docklands — are now vibrant cultural hubs, mixed-use housing, or verdant playgrounds. More proof that reinvention is just an idea away. And what’s old can be new again.
INDIA
After the Bishrampur open-cast coal mine in India stopped producing coal in 2018, it was repurposed into a tourist destination for boating and cottage rentals.
CANADA
In Montreal, a quarry-turned-landfill was converted into an urban greenspace called Frédéric-Back Park, boasting fields of wildflowers and futuristic biogas-capturing wells.
UNITED STATES
Since closing in 2001, the Fresh Kills Landfill on Staten Island was slowly transformed into Freshkills Park, New York City’s largest new park in 100 years.
AUSTRALIA
The old Western Five open-cut coal mine in Western Australia has been given a new life as Lake Kepwari, a 103-hectare recreational lake for boating and swimming.
SENEGAL
The Mbeubeuss landfill on the outskirts of Dakar is being overhauled for better material recovery, with a new eco-park in the works.
GERMANY
A disused ironworks in Duisburg has been creatively renovated into the Landschaftspark green space, with a diving centre, climbing gardens, and a giant tunnel slide.
