The icons of the American century are not what they once were. Some of the malls, office parks, and motels that were symbols of mid-century prosperity are tired, dying, or simply abandoned. And this is happening not just within the US, but in other places that emulated the American city. Tastes are changing, and so too are the demographics that call the suburbs home — and this is prompting a whole lot of retrofitting. For decades, architectural scholars June Williamson and Ellen Dunham-Jones have been documenting the phenomenon of retrofitted suburbia, where dead malls and other 'underperforming' properties are remade to meet people's needs. Malls have been turned into community health centres, Kmarts into schools, while huge office parks now host thriving medium-density communities.