What Is Adaptive Reuse And Development?
   

     Adaptive reuse and redevolpment can be accurately described as "architectural recycling."  Along with brownfield reclamation, adaptive reuse can be a key factor in land conservation and the reduction of urban sprawl. 

     As building structure preferences, community tastes, and markets change, structures or parts of structures may be adapted to be included into a new vision for a community.  Such adaptation may serve to preserve the character and history of an area, while removing functional obsolescence and inefficiencies.  

     Adaptive reuse can be defined as: 1) a process of adapting an old structure for new purposes; 2) a process of repositioning a structure for some use other than that for which it was originally designed; and, 3) the reconditioning of a current structure to meet current market demand and standards. 

     Often, the types of buildings most likely to become subjects of adaptive reuse include; industrial buildings, as cities become gentrified and the process of manufacture moves away from the city; political buildings, such as palaces and buildings which cannot support current and future visitors of the site; and community buildings such as churches or schools where the use has changed over time.