A quarter of America's gas stations have closed

More than 50,000 gas stations have shut down since 1991, when stations in the US numbered nearly 200,000, according to the National Association of Convenience Stores. The New York Times says the closings have saddled many communities with conspicuous, vacant properties—but also created opportunities to make the sites better-looking and more socially engaging through redevelopment. One example of what can be accomplished is shown above: an outdoor deck and the Breadbox Cafe, a former service station in Long Island City in New York's Borough of Queens. One of the biggest and most common obstacles: petroleum pollution that's seeped into the soil. It's often expensive to clean up.

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