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In reply to the discussion: More than 6,200 stores are closing in 2019 as the retail apocalypse drags on -- here's the full list [View all]A HERETIC I AM
(24,365 posts)Im sorry, and I know your heart is in the right place, but retail space makes REALLY crappy homeless shelters and barely better for much else, not to mention there isnt nearly the demand for the uses you suggest to possibly fill the millions of square feet of this sort of space.
Most stores are designed with two bathrooms at most and very little plumbing needed to service more than a few staff and an occasional customer.
Just because a space Isnt being used for its original purpose, doesnt mean it is immediately useful (or even EVER useful) for a completely unrelated task.
All that space.... A significant portion of it will never serve another purpose and will likely be torn down and the land allowed to go fallow. The retail sector simply overbuilt and they are trying to sell to a financially stressed population with stagnant wages.
A few years back there was a thread on DU about the numerous Aircraft Carriers the navy has pulled out of service.
Someone suggested they be used to house the homeless.
This is a perfect example of what I am trying to point out. An Aircraft Carrier would make a HORRIBLE place to live and to suggest otherwise displays a massive lack of understanding how these sorts of things are designed.