The vanishing shopping mall 

marco:

(via AZspot)

This article’s full of amazing quotes.

But there is no single “big fix” that will pump life back into downtowns full of boarded-up stores, says development expert Teresa Lynch. That means some communities will soon be without a mall or a thriving shopping district, leaving them with no central gathering place. “One of the biggest consequences of mall closings is the loss of a sense of community,” says David Birnbrey of The Shopping Center Group, “a place where people gather and socialize.” And exercise. Retirees Dick and Anne Saplata work out by walking around the largely empty halls of the Metcalf South Mall in Leawood, Kan. It’s likely to close soon, and there’s talk that a developer will raze the place. If the mall goes under, Dick Saplata asks, “where are we going to walk?”

There is so much wrong with this that I don’t even know where to start.

We’ve created far too many places like this. It’s going to be painful for the communities as they collapse (which has been happening for years — this isn’t new), but this gives us the opportunity to replace these monstrosities with much better alternatives.

Replace them with what? The shopping center services other purposes rather than walking around and gathering people together to hang out. Lots of people are employed and run businesses there, too. The whole mall/stripmall concept is a great way for a product-based business to get started with lower overhead, as they simply lease the space rather than buy it, build it, and get it up to code. The mall shop is a great place for a new business to start small and grow.

I would agree that the replacement for a mall shouldn’t be simply another mall, but a better mall. Maybe mall using more “green” solution. Maybe cater to more products and  services that promote better habits than simple spending. Maybe a good court dominated in healthier choices.

Source: azspot

32 notes

  1. valhallaisland reblogged this from marco and added:
    How about outside, in the fresh air...your neighbourhood?
  2. edkohler reblogged this from marco and added:
    Is it just me, or do places with a true sense of community have that WITHOUT malls? I’m thinking of neighborhoods like...
  3. straightouttastafford reblogged this from marco and added:
    Replace them with what? The shopping center services other purposes rather than walking around and gathering people...
  4. tjpytheas reblogged this from marco and added:
    I’m having a sense of deja vu - I had a conversation about this very thing last year but in the South African context....
  5. ouno reblogged this from marco
  6. gregbrown reblogged this from marco and added:
    Not to mention that it’s bad reporting for picking the Metcalf South Mall - which I grew up near - as an example....
  7. christianity reblogged this from marco and added:
    I avoid malls like the plague, and haven’t spent any significant time in one in years, so the insight about malls as...
  8. marco reblogged this from azspot and added:
    There is so much wrong with this that I don’t even know where to start. We’ve created far too many places like this....
  9. slantback reblogged this from jonathan-deamer
  10. jonathan-deamer reblogged this from vruz and added:
    azspot and vruz)
  11. vruz reblogged this from azspot
  12. azspot posted this