Don’t Repair Urban Infrastructure – Reprogram it for New Use
By only repairing urban infrastructure, we are missing an opportunity to repurpose it for new use, making cities more resilient and livable using by using the assets already in place.
New Use
Repurposing Bus Stops to Improve Public Mental Health
By replacing advertising lights with anti-SAD light therapy bulbs in 30 city bus stops, Umeå Energi transformed functional urban infrastructure into mental health boosting units.
Generating Power from City Water Pipes
LucidPipe applies the same principles of hydroelectric dams to urban water systems, generating power from the movement of water through the city’s pipes.
New Use for Industrial Heritage Structures: Student Housing
Grünerløkka Studenthus is a repurposed industrial grain silo that became a 226-unit student housing complex in Oslo, Norway.
Reprogramming the City Book Now Available
44 international urban repurposing projects showing how existing urban infrastructure, surfaces and systems can be reused and adapted for new use.
Turning a Stairway into a Mini Urban Park
The Cascade is a mini urban park designed to be installed on top of an existing stairway, offering shoppers and businesspeople a moment of rest and relaxation.
Transforming a Billboard to Provide Clean Drinking Water
The UTEC Water Billboard is a repurposed billboard in Lima, Peru, that generates clean drinking water from the air, using a humidity collection system.
Repurposing Highway Bridges For Food and Energy
An algae growing system was installed on a Geneva highway bridge, turning part of the city’s grey infrastructure into an air-cleaning platform for future urban food and fuel.
New Use for City Buses: Mobile Hygiene Stations
Lava Mae has converted city buses into mobile shower and sanitation units for the homeless. The new use for city buses allow the organization to bring services directly to urban areas with high concentrations of homeless people.
Converting Phone Booths into EV Charging Stations
As part of a “Green Innovation” initiative, Telekom Austria’s A1 division has been replacing underused phone booths with EV Charging Stations.