Large Scale Adaptive Re-Use: An Alternative to Big-Box Sprawl

"Sprawl is corroding the very sense of community that helps bind us together as a people and a nation." In 1993 the National Trust for Historic Preservation placed the entire state of Vermont on its list of 'America's 11 Most Endangered Historic Places'. Vermont, the only state ever placed on the list, was facing the imminent invasion of superstore sprawl, a predicament that threatened to "destroy the characteristics that define Vermont: historic town centers, a well-preserved countryside, working farms, scenic roads, locally owned small businesses, and most importantly, a strong sense of community fostered by compact, cohesive small towns." By placing Vermont on its 'Most Endangered' list, the National Trust helped to highlight the rapid proliferation of big-box sprawl as a significant concern for American preservationists and planners.