At-Your-Service: Gas Station Futures in Post-Industrial USA

Abstract

This thesis explores the unrealized potential of service stations in shaping environmental progress, social infrastructure, and food equity in America. Leveraging architecture to tackle challenges like food system design and environmental remediation, service station sites offer a promising canvas for innovative land use and spatial interventions across the nation. Three catalysts drive this body of research: the imminent climate-driven energy transition, EVs disruption of the traditional user experience, and reductions in social infrastructure funding. With over 115,000 sites in the U.S., (nearly 80,000 acres) and projections suggesting that up to 80% of fuel retail businesses may face unprofitability by 2035, scalability lies in plain sight. As a result, this thesis envisions service stations as dynamic hubs for services beyond traditional convenience retail, with a specific focus on last-mile food logistics, public space access, and environmental research. In addition to their economic and environmental potential, the study also addresses the sociocultural evolution of service stations. From their origin as pharmacies in 1885 Germany to specialization with the automobile era, the research traces the influence of the American dream, post-war expansion, and the convenience age on these spaces. In conclusion, this research poses two pivotal questions. What if service stations played a central role in an ecologically positive future? What if they became hubs for equitable access to public space, fresh food, and well-being services? By reimagining service stations with these considerations, we unlock the potential for resilient, inclusive communities and innovative solutions to pressing environmental and societal issues.