Miami University, Ohio
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Transforming ghost-boxes: From abandonment to engaging community individuality
Get PDFSince the 1960s, big-box stores have defined retail shopping for American suburbs. However, these
megastores are becoming abandoned at alarming rates due to economic decline and expansion.
Large retailers, such as Wal-Mart, are contributing to the presence of empty big-boxes across the
country. Big-box reuse is becoming more common. Communities still need to address the problem of
these vacancies. The abandonment of big-boxes in the suburbs affects communities because the
empty stores cause blight, reduced property values, loss in tax revenue, and decreases social
capital. As these big-boxes become abandoned, the communities need to find a solution to reuse
them that will be beneficial. Big-boxes are created for one purpose – retail. When these megastores
leave their old store to build a new superstore, there are legal constraints preventing competing
retailers from purchasing the property, which leads to issues for the city because it can sits empty
for years. The superstores are usually built near the old structure, leaving the city and its community
to find a solution for the unused space. This paper will look at several case studies on communities
that have found an alternative use for these “ghost-boxes”. How can big-box stores be re-adapted
for community needs? The growing presence of empty big-box stores across the U.S. is affecting
communities. As designers we need to address the scale and complexity of the problem to create
better community engagement through public connections.
Beginning with a former big-box in Eden Prairie, Minnesota, an active community of about 60,000
people explores the possibilities of redesigning a big-box building to a library. The building is
transformed into an enjoyable place where people can interact. It also creates a place for the
surrounding neighborhoods to connect with one another. The ghost-boxes provide design challenges
to break the typical structure, such as, bringing in natural light that would welcome the public. These
challenges offer an alternative to the windowless, concrete, one-story structure of a typical big-box
store. This type of project would encourage the community to grow and be an example for other
communities such as Austin, Minnesota and Olathe, Missouri
“MOOCing” On Up? Experiences of an Elusive Course Completer
Get PDFIn this article, I apply autoethnography to recount and analyze my experiences as a recent enrollee and course completer of a massive open online course (MOOC). Research surrounding MOOCs heretofore has been predominantly quantitative in nature, whereas this research utilizes a qualitative approach and offers a student’s in-depth perspective. While participating in the course, and in its aftermath, I engaged in systematic observation and reflection. Generally, my experience was positive, prompting me to analyze consistencies and discrepancies between my vantage points and those stemming from emerging MOOC research and media discourse. Most significantly, my lived experience might provide a window into better understanding MOOC access, persistence, and course completion, each of which is central to current discourse regarding MOOCs, including appraisals of their worth. It is hoped that this exploratory research will supplement current research and suggest future research in these areas
Separate and Unequal at Hillsborough High: A Principal’s Challenges in Integrating “Academic” and Career and Technical Education Coursework
Get PDFDr. Edward White, Hillsborough High School principal, has decided to allocate faculty in-service time to address an unproductive chasm between academic and Career and Technical Education programming within the school, which has created tensions among the faculty. Upon returning to his office after the professional development session, which was generally positive, he is confronted by his associate principal for curriculum, who is upset because she was excluded from the process. This case provides an opportunity for students to explore the importance of developing a college- and career- readiness curriculum, as well as to strategize mechanisms to resolve conflicts among colleagues
