Reimagining Abandoned Community Space in a Post-Pandemic Environment
4 December 2020
Artist Statement:
Three years ago, while walking from my internship at a manufacturing company in Landover, Maryland, I stumbled upon a vast, fenced-off lot. Peering through the chain-link, I saw only piles of dirt, dust, and concrete—an abandoned construction site frozen in time. At the time, I thought little of it. But two years later, as the pandemic forced me to relocate from California back to Maryland, I found myself increasingly drawn to the growing number of vacant spaces around me. Once vibrant malls and retail centers—hubs of commerce and social interaction—now stood empty, their windows boarded up and doors locked.
My fascination with these abandoned spaces led me back to the Landover property, where I uncovered its history as the former Landover Mall. This discovery sparked a vision: How might this forgotten site be reimagined as a community gathering space in a post-pandemic world?
The three-dimensional model I have developed, shaped through community feedback, envisions the Landover Community Marketplace—a reimagined social hub designed for resilience and inclusivity. Guided by new pandemic-responsive design standards from the CDC and the American Institute of Architects (AIA), I incorporated principles of safe social interaction and recreation. Through the integration of sustainable design strategies, this project serves as both a speculative proposal and an aspirational model for post-pandemic revitalization.
By removing the model from its immediate physical context, I emphasize its conceptual nature—an adaptable framework that can inspire community-driven transformation beyond Landover. This project underscores the power of imaginative visual representation and three-dimensional modeling as tools to shape more resilient, people-centered spaces in the wake of the pandemic.
Landover Mall Demolition Site:
Landover Marketplace Exterior Tour