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As enrollments dwindle and colleges close, towns hope developers will revive abandoned campuses

Jun 1, 2023
It isn't easy to find buyers for typical cinder-block campus buildings.
Southern Vermont College called this mansion in Bennington, Vermont home for 40 years, until it closed in 2019. Now, a real estate developer wants to turn it into a luxury resort.
Henry Epp/Marketplace

Economics and history collide as UNESCO revokes Liverpool's World Heritage status

Aug 23, 2021
Fewer than two decades after it was awarded, UNESCO revoked Liverpool's World Heritage designation. Now, city officials and economists look to find ways to preserve history while striving for economic prosperity.
UNESCO revoked its World Heritage designation for six sites on Liverpool's waterfront. Now, city officials look to the future as they try to balance protecting the past with fostering economic prosperity.
Victoria Craig

How a mall-turned-public park saved downtown Columbus

Oct 12, 2017
The redevelopment project helped attract $400 million in investment and thousands of new residents.
Columbus Commons hosts more than 200 events a year, including a Harvest Fair on September 30, 2017. 
Marielle Segarra/Marketplace

Detroit's chief storyteller says it's time to talk to about neighborhoods that persevered

Jul 24, 2017
Aaron Foley says there are "680,000 stories waiting to be told. Not all of them come from downtown."
Aaron Foley says he heard about the Detroit race riots at home, and “hardly anybody wanted to really go in depth and talk about.” Above, a group of men in Detroit construct a barricade to keep their street safe during the 1967 riots.
Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images

Death in the suburbs: Reinventing the American mall

Feb 26, 2015
Deserted malls dot the suburbs. But some are getting a new lease on life.
Santa Fe Mall in Duluth, GA, is geared toward Hispanic shoppers. Highlights include a popular food court. 
Caitlin Esch