In a remote area of Hokkaido, the northernmost island of Japan, a train stops just twice a day, as it has for years: once to pick up a girl on her way to school, and once to drop her back off afterward.

The otherwise-abandoned Kyu-Shirataki station remains open, thanks to Japan Railways, which honored the request of two parents to continue transporting their daughter back and forth until she graduates.

The physical space is remarkably well-kept despite its relative disuse, still containing route maps and schedules as any other station would, despite serving as essentially a single-person shelter for the place’s only daily passenger.

As the country’s population continues to shrink as well as urbanize, rural routes like this one have been forced to close – only high-speed railway lines remain on the rise. Fans of Japan Railways’ actions in this case see it as a victory for common courtesy as well as education. The line will ultimately close completely after the girl graduates and moves on (via CityLab).

Transforming unused sections of the London Underground,  this bold proposal envisions a network of subterranean paths for pedestrians and cyclists as well as spaces for pop-up shops, cafes and cultural events. These would be situated in stretches of tunnel and subterranean stations currently sitting idle and empty, a waste of space in (or under) one of the most densely-populated cities on the planet.

In the spirit of New York’s proposed Low Line, the plan involves putting disused subway infrastructure to work serving as primary areas for circulation and interaction. To connect these disparate spaces, the design calls for old reservoir chambers and exchanges to bridge these larger and more open sections of the Underground system.

Architects at Gensler, the firm behind the idea, developed this proposal to address a series of issues in this space-starved capital of England, including bicyclist fatalities on surface streets, a lack of pedestrian public space and the general ease of movement across the city. The development process could also be incremental, moving in stages to make transition and restoration costs more manageable and to test usage patterns, adapting and evolving strategies as the project unfolds.

As a bonus, special panels lining the interior of these underground spaces would be used to generate kinetic energy from people passing through and walking on surfaces, obviating the need for external power sources. Indeed, the technology for this system already exists, and this would be a great potential application for both cost and sustainability reasons.

The default plan is to start with voids between Green Park and Holborn, working stations that could provide access to unused portions of the Tube spanning them. In turn, tying these spaces into the existing Underground network would make them more accessible to visitors coming into the city and locals alike.

Unlike other conceptual projects for London, like the SkyCycle,or serious proposals, like the Garden Bridge, very little would have to be added or displaced for this reprogramming approach to work. The Under Line may also borrow a bit of inspiration from this clever idea to transform Paris Metro stops into event spaces.

A remarkable example of architectural rehabilitation, this abandoned structure has been given a second life via a fresh facade wrapping a rundown shell. The before-and-after shots illustrate the (realized) potential of even the most dilapidated-looking building, and in this case specifically: one that was exposed to the elements for over 20 years.

In the GELM annex, architect Víctor Díaz Paunetto AIA worked with a limited budget and existing building, effectively turning a stabilized ruin into the basis for a vibrant new structure boasting weathering steel and colorful accents. The building has already recieved Honor Awards from the AIA Puerto Rico Chapter in 2013, XIII Puerto Rico Architecture Biennale in 2013 and AIA Florida and the Caribbean in 2014.

In alignment with the ecological focus of the school to be housed on the site, the client and designer agreed to maintain the existing structure at the core and to add exterior surfaces around it rather than demolishing it. Today, it is used for classes, meetings and gatherings as well as storage for the school and its students.

From the designer: “This project aspires to be an example of how the recycling of existing structures can potentially serve as a vehicle for a sustainable development of our built environment. The challenges of demonstrating how adaptive reuse could be seen as a new model for redevelopment was intertwined with the challenges of a designer also working as the builder with an extremely limited budget and time for the execution of this project.”

More about the design, site strategy, program and inspiration: “GELM Annex is a second commission of the joint Early Head Start and Pre-School Program of Guarderia Ecologica La Mina (GELM). The design solution for the rehabilitation of this existing structure dating back to the 1960’s and abandoned since the 1980’s had to strive for simplicity, uniformity and longevity. To this effect a corten steel skin perforated in a pattern derived from the abundant and extensive bamboo hedges that surround the site was designed in an effort to establish a dialogue with the immediate natural context. The skin becomes a sunscreen and jointly with the colored glass panels, introduced in reference to the existing pre-school the building serves, help bathe the interior space with filtered and colored light.”

We’ve seen what our towns and cities look like when people move out and nature moves in – but why does abandonment happen? What factors turn towns into ghost-towns, city centres into wastelands and treasured homes into piles of crumbling debris? Here’s a look at eight modern urban settlements that are either in danger of or in the process of losing their inhabitants – places that might gives clues about how to keep our cities alive.

Detroit, Michigan

(Image via: Shane Gorski)

Symbolized by the gloriously atmospheric ruin of the Michigan Central Station, Detroit is a city fighting decline. A 20th century marvel of car production, the area has suffered decades of industrial loss (for example, between 1970 and 1980, Detroit shed 208,000 jobs) as the motor industry has waned – the city locked into a downward trajectory due to an apparent over-dependence on automobile manufacture.

(Images via: tronics and Shane Gorski and lhoon)

But the U.S.’s 11th most populous city seems set to endure – thanks to decentralization. While the old core remains an urban problem, the newer suburbs are attracting new investment. Whether it will be enough to eventually reverse the inner-city decline and lure back a healthy commercial sector remains to be seen.

(Image via: Shane Gorski)

St. Louis, Missouri

(Images via: joguldi, Shane Gorski and Ecology of Absence)

At the centre of the Greater St. Louis metropolitan area, this impressively historical city (founded 1763) was hit hard by the decline in local industries. Since 1950, it has lost 59% of its population – the fastest rate of population loss of any American city.

(Images via: Ecology of Absence)

However, while the underlying factors causing this shrinking city appear to be broadly similar as with Detroit, the response is markedly different. Between 1999 and 2005, $3.3 billion has been invested in Downtown St.Louis, the core of the city – and with a recent slight rise in the population, the signs are encouraging.

Wittenberge, Germany

(Image via: Wikimedia Commons)

Defined by an impressive architectural style – as evidenced by the Rathaus building, above – Wittenberge is an East German town that has prospered for eight centuries, only to be dealt what may be a death-blow by German reunification in 1990. Of the 1.4 million Germans leaving for the West, 14,000 came from Wittenberge – reducing its population to a scant 24,000 today.

(Images via: Spiegel Online and Christhard Lapple)

With the rapid depopulation, large abandoned spaces have opened up in the historic town centre, leaving some streets completely empty. Where redevelopment is taking place, it does little to accomodate itself to Wittenberge’s architectural heritage.

Ivanovo, Russian Federation

(Images via: Shrinking Cities and Wikipedia)

Tied closely to the Soviet manufacturing machine, the town of Ivanovo (population 450,000) finds itself in the unenviable position of having to reboot its entire economy to serve a hugely inflated population – in 1920, the town had just 52,000 residents. With the closing down of the town’s major employer, a USSR-financed textile factory, Ivanovo has been hit with drastic losses of townwide production, infrastructure decline (including the loss of the citywide tram, pictured), falling birthrates, abandonment of the workforce and “unprecedented social polarisation and segregation“.

Kashgar, China

(Image via: taylorandayumi)

For thousands of years, Kashgar has acted as an oasis city for trade and commerce is far western China, an important part of the famous “Silk Road”. The oldest part of this modern city of 350,000 people is the Old City – or rather, was, because the Chinese authorities are currently destroying it. Deemed to be a safety hazard and eyesore, the old quarter has been forcibly evacuated of the bulk of the resident 13,000 families – and approximately 85% of it is being torn down, despite its inestimable cultural and archaeological value. In its place, a new Old City – but who will return, and will old Kashgar still remain in any shape or form?

Leipzig, Germany

(Image via: ShrinkingCities)

The largest city in the Saxony area of eastern Germany, Leipzig can boast a population of some 500,000 people – which is 100,000 less than its heyday before German unification. In the early ’90s, the city’s economy was severely run-down, sending investors and workers elsewhere.

(Image via: Slache and ShrinkingCities and New Geography)

As with Detroit and St. Louis, the suburbs of Leipzig have prospered as the inner city has declined – around half of the businesses in the suburbs have relocated from the city centre. Yet thanks to its prestigious Trade Fair and ongoing redevelopment investment, the prognosis for the city’s economy is good.

Youngstown, Ohio

(Images via: royalreview and stu spivack and Flint News)

Once it housed 180,000 – now it has less than half that number. But faced with a familiar story of industrial decline dragging down the commercial and the residential alike, Youngstown has looked afresh at the challenge of downsizing – and decided to embrace it. Under the name “Youngstown 2010“, the city is actively seeking a smaller, more sustainable urban footprint with a higher standard of living.

Venice, Italy

(Image via: lpiepiora)

And finally, the most famous declining city of them all. Once an independent nation and a major European maritime power, Venice is indisputably one of the loveliest cities in the world – all the more so because it’s disappearing under the waves, a little more every year.

(Images via: Dimitry B and Dan Kitwood )

The locals move upstairs: the politicians resort to experimental engineering – but even the most innovative efforts don’t promise to stay Venice’s inevitable abandonment for more than a century. Despite our best efforts, some places cannot be saved – and that makes them all the more precious while we still have them.

As the world moves away from the Industrial Age and deeper into the Information Age, the relics of our former industries can been seen aging and abandoned.  Often, older industrial buildings and sites are so polluted with the materials once used or made there that the locations can’t be used for much else.  Since they can’t be used, they simply sit and gather the layers of time that make them fascinating until they are demolished, repurposed, or completely forgotten about.  These abandoned factories, mills and mines have served their useful lives and now stand silent.

Port Mulgrave Mine, United Kingdom

(images via: Phill D.)

In the late 19th century, Port Mulgrave mine supplied iron ore for a brief time.  The mine’s existence was responsible for the construction of the nearby harbor, which helped transport the ore until the nearby railroad was eventually linked up with the rest of the country.  Today, the Port Mulgrave mine is partially collapsed and none too safe to venture into – but this brave photographer took some incredible pictures out of the deserted tunnels.

Cascade Pass, Washington

(images via: Darren Jacobson)

Cascade Pass is a popular hiking destination in Washington state, and some truly breathtaking views await hikers.  There are some surprises, too, like this abandoned mine nestled in the rocks.

Delco Manufacturing Plant, Rochester, New York

(images via: Industrial New York)

Rochester was once a booming industrial city.  But when the area’s industry began to wane, there were plenty of old factories left hanging around.  The Delco Manufacturing Plant changed hands a few times after its heyday, but still ended up abandoned in the end.  Today, one of the three buildings has burned down and the other two are frequently used for illegal activity.

Millenium Mills, London

(images via: Dereliction)

The last of the remaining major flour mills in London, Spiller’s Millenium Mills is look back into the history of the city.  The building and the land on which it is situated have been the setting for countless movies and television shows.  Developers have been in talks to turn the area into part of a 5,000-home waterfront development project.

Carondelet Coke Plant, St. Louis, Missouri

(images via: Ecology of Absence)

This coke plant in St. Louis wasn’t the type that provides syrupy caffeinated goodness to keep you going through your workday.  The coke produced here was a type of fuel derived from coal.  When the EPA named coke plants among the most carcinogenic types of industries, the plant was closed and abandoned.  A case of unpaid taxes caused the property to revert to the city’s ownership in 1987.  It was only 19 years later that a buyer was found for the 40-acre contaminated property.

Abandoned Paper Mill, Location Unknown

(images via: Maraid)

The most mysterious abandoned places are those that seem to have been abandoned in a hurry.  This paper mill, apparently located somewhere in Britain, was deserted with belongings in lockers and dishes still on the canteen table.  Was it a chemical spill that caused the workers to flee?  Or did the owners simply not care to remove the company’s posessions from the building when they closed up shop for good?

Abandoned Jute Mill, Angus, UK

(images via: 8333696)

This jute mill in Angus was similarly ditched seemingly in mid-shift.  Rolls of jute lay all around and machines remain parked as if their operators just popped out for a cup of tea.  Boots and jackets still adorn the interior.  The only signs that this isn’t a working factory are the mildew, dirt build-up and general decay adorning some parts of the site.