Addressing the Issue of Under-Utilized Commercial Real Estate in Rural Alberta

Rural communities across Alberta often struggle with empty storefronts and under-utilized commercial buildings. Once the hub of commerce and community activities, these spaces have fallen victim to structural changes in retail operations and consumer behaviour, from a growing comfort to travel farther to buy goods elsewhere, to the advent of the large “box stores” appearing on the outskirts of these communities, to the rapidly growing interest in online shopping.  This is an outcome that severely impacts the rural commercial real estate sector, and local rural economies overall. This project explores how rural communities make use of under-utilized spaces.

This project is funded by the Alberta Real Estate Foundation.