Remember the Backrooms? They’re a possible solution to the housing crisis
Many developers nationwide are looking into abandoned places to solve the mass housing crisis. Could this help UW Tacoma’s students too?
By Karla Pastrana
Washington state and the entire nation is going through a housing crisis. Mass construction projects are occurring in major counties as homelessness continues to rise.
This has forced developers to get creative on how they can meet the high demand of housing quickly and efficiently. Many have turned to abandoned liminal spaces as a solution.
This makes me think about the internet sensation or meme known as the Backrooms. Due to the similarities between the fictional world and reality, I can’t help but ask if this could ultimately help UWT’s current campus housing issue while also meeting the Master Plan’s goal. On Dec. 3 UWT held a public Master Plan meeting for the UWT community, where Bjarke Ingels Group and the UWT administration acknowledged housing as an important component of a University environment and student population.
The Backroom’s take by Kane Pixels is coming true, just not in the way we horror fans hoped. Pixels’ story ironically lays scenes in a reality where the U.S. is also suffering a housing crisis caused by overpopulation and what some fans assume to be the corporate takeover of land.
As a solution to the issue, the government turns to a company known as Async Research Institute (ARI) to find a solution. ARI’s solution to the crisis is to open the alternative dimension known as the Backrooms, which is an ever-expanding office looking environment to house people and keep storage.
If you’re a fan of this story, you know that the Backrooms has different levels and each looks drastically different. One of these levels is an abandoned mall. This level is one of the most popular levels of the lore due to how colorful and creepy it can become with the flickering lights, music playing and a place that is normally packed with people being completely empty.
Instagram user Xennial.kid posted a reel suggesting abandoned malls of the 90s be repurposed as retiring homes and many users agreeing in the comments. Media by: Xennial.kid via Instagram
This level of the Backrooms is so popular that many online have posted videos jokingly suggesting that developers use the old malls as housing units. It seems that developers have taken that seriously as seen in the 33 constructed apartments in malls since the pandemic, according to Realogic.
Developers didn’t really get the idea from the Backrooms videos by Pixels or the 2019 post on Creepypasta that started the analog horror. But the fact that many shopping centers are slowly dying as major department stores continue to lose popularity since 2001, according to the Census Bureau and Realogic’s data.
Realogic states that since January 2022 at least 192 malls in the U.S. plan to add apartments to their designs to help bring profit and fill spaces that retail stores refuse to rent. This is mostly due to high rent prices and online shopping stealing the majority of sales.
Developers have agreed to these designs as they help slow down the housing demand briefly, whether it be building housing in abandoned department stores after knocking them down or remolding the inside of shuttered storefronts. Specifically, the shuttered storefront apartments have been growing in popularity in the downtown areas of cities like Champaign, Illinois due to the high success storefront apartments have had in helping malls stay alive, such as those seen in other states like Rhode Island and Wisconsin.
“I think the idea of using old malls as housing is a great way to repurpose a space with such a massive footprint, reducing waste and making good use of what’s there already,” said UWT senior and Backrooms fan Bee Kisky.
This quarter Kisky introduced his comic story “SHOPAHOLIX” which is set in an abandoned mall with an alternative dimension similar to the Backrooms. In “SHOPAHOLIX” the characters are forced to live in an abandoned mall dimension and build a community from the ground up to survive.
This forces them to find creative ways to have the environment meet their needs. Kisky couldn’t help but see the similarities between his story and the Pixels’ story, as with the housing solution many developers turned to abandoned department stores and shuttered storefronts in malls. He doesn’t think that using malls is a main solution to solving the housing crisis though, as sociopolitical factors contribute to the lack of affordable housing.
“The biggest draw for this type of setup is the potential for more mixed-use communities. Right now, the U.S. is super dependent on cars, and you’d have to either drive or take transit to do any kind of shopping. That’s a major obstacle for people who can’t drive or afford a vehicle! If a mall were converted to be partially shopping and partially housing, that concern could be eliminated.” Kisky said. “Having a grocery store or department store in the same complex would be a huge bonus for disabled and aging residents. There are actually a few different spaces in Las Vegas that are embracing this type of mixed-use community plan to great success already.”
Indeed, Kisky is correct about their success. Mall apartments like The Arcade in Providence in Rhode Island have saved the historical mall and brought life back to it with people living in the micro-apartments or renting them as Airbnb’s. This begs a few questions, could using abandoned buildings in good condition be the solution to the housing crisis in the long run? Could this solution help UWT’s housing crisis but also breathe in life to our small campus?
During the Master Plan meeting Bjarke Ingels Group and UWT administration stated that they are thinking of ways to solve the issue but didn’t expand on it more.
This makes sense as the environment on our campus is less flexible than UW Bothell, which was able to build two new residentials halls and one apartment building that can house 1,000 students out of the 6,064 currently attending this year.
As a student of this campus which is an underfunded child of the Tri-campus family, that hurts. Seeing a campus even smaller than ours get the one thing we desperately need is frustrating. Students like Kisky and UWT freshmen Reed Wessling from King County applied for housing and were outcompeted due to the high demand of students applying for dorm housing. Both students had no choice but to rent off campus in independent housing which has had its ups and downs.
Wessling wasn’t even able to get a dorm this year, not only because of the high demand but also because the school didn’t announce that applications were open. Which is another problem here at UWT, the dorm quietly opens applications which can be assumed to lessen the number of applicants due to the high demand. This leaves many who live far away from campus without reliable transportation to look for other means of housing like Wessling did.
The lack of housing could be solved if UWT chose to buy and remodel the inside of one of the many abandoned buildings that surround our campus either on Pacific Avenue or Jefferson Avenue. This would expand the campus and make it more sustainable for students who need a place to live while attending classes.
UWT wouldn’t need to remodel these old buildings to specifically mirror Court 17’s interior design but they can definitely remodel them in a similar fashion to Seattle U’s Campion Hall that places two students in a 12×15 foot room that contains a small fridge with a microwave, 2 closets, cabinets located under the beds and two desks. The rooms also have a sink with a mirror. Each floor has a shared bathroom just like some Seattle dorms have and a shared kitchen. A building that could work in a similar manner like Campion Hall would be the Swiss Complex building across from Tioga Library.
It may not be enough room for two students, but it would provide housing for students even in small numbers. That’s where the other buildings on Pacific Avenue come in which could definitely serve the same purpose as Campion Hall.
David Goodin has been in the construction industry for over 30 years and is the owner of home remodeling and construction company Tonka Homes. Tonka Homes has seen a massive impact since the beginning of the housing crisis in their commission that has intensified competition in the industry.
“Both of these activities [remodeling or building a new place] are driven by potential profits by owners and investors so I wouldn’t say one is better than the other. They both add additional housing. Replacing abandoned retail and parking lots gives the ability to build more housing units by being able to build several stories opposed to what existing structure may provide.” Goodin tells The Ledger.
Goodin expands by explaining that although remodeling an old space may look easy and quick one must be careful when doing it. Companies must make sure it is functional for its new purpose for the long term rather than a short-term solution since it is being used for housing purposes. This means remodeling an old building or tearing it down for a new one would work well for our campus.
“Seattle U owns Campion Hall so I guess the question is really ‘Does UW Tacoma have the resources to purchase and renovate the existing Swiss Complex?” asks Goodin.
I believe UWT kind of does. Our enrollment has gone up 4% this year, which is a big deal when compared to post pandemic enrollment that was drastically low compared to prior years. The school may not have the money to do this now but could in the near future.
UWT should argue with the Tri-campus administration for more investments to meet student demands. Most importantly, it would meet with the administration’s and the Master plan’s mission of creating a sticky campus. If they want students to stay on campus then the best way to do it is to have students live on campus. When I lived on campus, I would use West Coast grocery and the YMCA all the time either for personal means or to hang with friends. I also supported local businesses like Shake Shake. Now that I’m living off campus, I don’t do that anymore.
Or UWT could ask the City of Tacoma for a grant by showing how the school has lived to its expectation in the revitalization of the Warehouse district. If the city truly wishes to help the local economy, then it has to provide housing to attract people.
It wouldn’t be the first time the city or school would remodel old buildings because our campus is made up of old repurposed buildings that were rotting away for many years to the point not even the Red District wanted them.
I’m all for remodeling old buildings to create more housing. There are so many abandoned buildings scattered throughout the nation that are left to rot, when they can be reused to help house people! Simply because of economic and popularity concerns. Lastly, a large portion of these abandoned buildings are malls as witnessed by major urban explorers on social media like rotting.midwest and Exploring with Josh. I fully believe UWT should consider this solution to at least meet a small portion of the student demand, especially now that enrollment is slowly going back up to pre-pandemic numbers.
All-in-all, whether this is a long-term solution or a temporary one to the housing crisis in our country is something we must wait to see. For now, all I can say is dibs on the Hot Topic storefront apartment!
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