We Have Seen It All. At the Mall

Abstract

Many of us have conflicted attitudes toward suburban shopping malls in the United States. Malls are environmentally irresponsible, reinforce a dependence on cars, fortify economic and social stratification, generate private-property, emphasize consumption, and are architecturally disappointing. Malls are also the places where we bought school shoes, where we garnered our first jobs, where we may see a diversity of products and people and tastes, and, remarkably, malls can still surprise us. This article is an overview of mall criticism and a narrative from reluctant mall enthusiasts. We sit at an equivocal place—in between the complexity and contradiction of the suburban shopping mall—while enjoying lunch.

Renaissance of Suburban Shopping

“…Consequently, the shopping mall is overwhelmingly commercial in nature and "can never be a genuinely authentic urban place" (Miles, 2010, p. 83). Environments within are inauthentic and superficial, designed with little or no awareness of, or care for local characteristics and traditions (Corroto & Richardson, 2019, p. 1080. It is one of the many malls nationwide (and, in fact, worldwide) facing this now well-established reality in the industry.…”

“…Consequently, the mall can trigger temptations and curiosity within customers to heighten their desire to consume ( Jewell, 2016, p. 123). " [Mall] environments are inauthentic and superficial, designed without awareness of, or care for, local characteristics or traditions (Corroto & Richardson, 2019, p. 1080)" This content is unavailable.…”

Making the Case for Centralized Dementia Care Through Adaptive Reuse in the Time of COVID-19

“…28,29 Baby Boomers met friends at malls, learning about diversity in goods and people. 30,31 America's peak mall years were from the 1960s through the 1980s, By 2005, there were 1500 malls creating a per capita excess of retail space. 32 Due to the 2008 economic downturn and online shopping, current forecasts suggest 10% of the nations enclosed malls will close by 2022.…”

“…32 Due to the 2008 economic downturn and online shopping, current forecasts suggest 10% of the nations enclosed malls will close by 2022. 30 Communities all over America are rethinking these properties and determining whether to rehabilitate, re-tenant, refinance and reposition the property, or tear down the structure and rebuild other place types. 32 Mall demolition is costly and demolition-waste in landfills is environmentally unsustainable.…”

Thinking outside of the Box: Medical Provider Perspectives on Adaptive Reuse of Closed Mall Sites for Mixed-Use Dementia Programs and Services

“…Vacant urban malls, in particular, provide the large sites needed for mixeduse developments which include programs, medical services and attached housing similar to the Dementia Village model. Due to the 2008 economic downturn and online shopping, current forecasts suggest 10% of the nation's 1,500 enclosed malls will close by 2022 (Corroto & Richardson, 2019). The economic fallout from COVID-19 is also affecting those retailers that were already in dire circumstances before the current pandemic hit, possibly resulting in higher rates of closures than previously forecasted (Bodamer, n.d.).…”