Every community has them—vacant malls, aging fairgrounds, shuttered offices, and forgotten brownfields. The question isn’t whether these underutilized assets exist—it’s how to turn them into retail and economic drivers.

This session explores how forward-thinking cities are repositioning blighted and underperforming properties into strategic retail and mixed-use destinations that generate tax revenue, create jobs, and strengthen local economies. We’ll examine the cost advantages of redeveloping existing infrastructure, and how smart adaptive reuse can accelerate time-to-market for retail development. From experiential retail and family entertainment centers to mixed-use districts and commercial hubs, these projects demonstrate that yesterday’s liabilities can become tomorrow’s highest-performing retail assets—and powerful catalysts for community-wide economic growth.