Reinventing Main Street: From Mall to Townscape Mall

Abstract

The design of public space in US cities has experienced a major transformation over the past five decades. As traditional urban centres have declined as foci for civic and economic activity, new centres—usually shopping malls—have emerged on the urban fringe. As old malls age and decline in market appeal, new forms are appearing that mimic many aspects of the abandoned town centre, although in private rather than public contexts. Emerging forms of suburban public space are examined by means of case studies of several US shopping centres including reinvented old malls (‘mall-overs’), new main street malls (townscape malls), malled main streets and hybrid forms that combine aspects of main street and mall. The analysis focuses on spatial form, symbolism and imagery, pedestrian friendliness, connections with the larger context, public uses and limitations on use. Urban designers, landscape architects and planners can learn much from malls in making old main streets work. They can also learn from successful main streets how to reshape old malls and create more successful new main street shopping centres.

Acknowledgements

Ben Grant, Andy Keller and Tung Tran assisted in the field work and research for this study; Sungjin Park assisted with the illustrations; and Deni Ruggeri provided valuable comments. All drawings and photographs are copyrighted by Michael Southworth, except as noted.