What to do with an empty mall?

People Fixing the World

US shopping malls, once a mainstay of American life, are in decline. Forty malls have closed since 2020, while more than 230 department stores have closed in the same time period, according to Green Street, a real estate analytics firm.

But where there is change, there is also opportunity.

After Burlington High School in Vermont had to close its doors because dangerous chemicals were found, the school hopped into a site vacated by Macy’s department store five years earlier.

The children now ride the escalator to class. Elsewhere, malls have been converted into offices, casinos or large healthcare facilities. We explore the surprising second life being offered to these temples of consumerism.

Presenter: Myra Anubi Reporter: William Kremer Series producer: Tom Colls Sound Mix: Anne Gardiner Editor: Penny Murphy

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Image: Pupils at a school in a department store.