In cities across the country, the adaptive reuse of large-scale abandoned and vacant structures is critical to revitalizing neighborhoods and breathing life back into urban places. During this session, we will share how public, private, and nonprofit stakeholders in Memphis and Buffalo are collaborating to repurpose large vacant structures into benefits for the community. Representatives from Memphis will share their experience of transforming an abandoned vocational high school into 270,000 square feet of mixed-use education, health care, housing, arts, and community-based services along with the challenges of surrounding residential and commercial uses. From Buffalo, attendees will learn about the master plan for the preservation and adaptive reuse of the Buffalo Central Terminal, a 500,000 square foot former train hub which closed in 1979. The 2020-21 planning process for the terminal illuminates challenges and lessons learned, including the physical reuse of a sprawling structure, the voice of the diverse community around it, and the financial tools and partners needed to bring the project to life.