Posted by  Richard Haut on July 02, 2002 at 09:23:11:

In Reply to:  Re: Demise of Pedestrian Malls-Competition - Enclosed Malls posted by JWmHarmon on July 02, 2002 at 07:27:50:

JWm

humanity of scale is what it is all about. I totally agree with you.

I remember the early British version of malls and, although they were considered interesting at first, they were seriously bleak concrete structures (usually half open to the wind and rain).

there have been many examples of older buildings being turned into shopping centres which have worked well - like Whiteley's Department Store in London's Bayswater. And after all the mall is really only a progression from the department store. They were intended to be - and some still are - a "destination" in their own right, with the shopping being almost incidental, like Harrods in London.

where shopping is a major part of people's leisure time, as in Britain, then the mall becomes too important because people are expecting too much of it. Where a centre becomes vibrant and has other things happening (as in London's Covent Garden) then the commercial success of the retail part can work longer term because people simply go there because they want to. The uses change to include more cafés and restaurants, people want to work or live near there, it becomes a proper area. Out-of-town retail does not have that option and therefore is likely to have a limited lifespan of the type that you describe.

a town centre location can have street markets, entertainment - a general range of life and lifestylmes that bring people there at all times. The out-of-town notion is perhaps self-defeating in the long term. There may be little real support for these changes because the out-of-town centres invlve heavy investment and the backers are normally seeking simple clear returns which they frequently can only understand if they come from the main anchor tenants who pay the heaviest rents.

one of the saddest urban sights can be a shopping centre that is failing - they have a bleakness that is soul-destroying. In a town centre area, something can be done. In an out-of-town location, perhaps the bulldozer is the only answer.

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