Essay Example on Wai To Wong Prof Hoyos Arch

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Wai To Wong Prof Hoyos Arch 499 1 16 2018 Societal Changes and Urban Space Formally malls are defined as many buildings combining to create a complex of shops representing merchandisers with unified walkways allowing guests to walk from unit to unit Informally they are the center and hub of societies the foundation of retail economies and a social hub for people everywhere In recent periods the idea of the shopping mall which has its roots in the state and became a well established modern retail tendency there in the post WWII era has thrived all around the world The five largest malls in the world now reside in Asia China s New South China Mall in Dongguan stands at the top of the heap with 2 9 million square meters of space Brands like Sears and Macy s taught a newly urban America to become very comfortable with conspicuous consumerism In its truly modern restatement the mall was the brainchild of Victor Gruen a short stout unkempt man from Vienna who came to the United States soon before the outburst of World War II Malls weren t just feeding America s new suburban population they were turning out huge sums of money for investors Suddenly all over the United States shopping plazas sprouted like well fertilized weeds wrote urban historian 



Thomas Hanchett in his 1996 article U S Tax Policy and the Shopping Center Boom Developers who had been slowly accumulating land and considering over the shopping center concept shortly loosened their projects into high gear The first wave of shopping malls born from projects shifted into high gear washed over the country in 1956 However it didn t last long the last new enclosed mall was built in 2006 2007 marked the first time since the 1950s that a new mall wasn t built in the United States The 2008 recession was a gut punch to already flailing mall systems at a 1 1 million square foot mall in Charlotte N C sales per square foot fell to 210 down from 288 in 2001 Between 2007 and 2009 400 of America s largest 2 000 malls closed Shopping malls were huge in the 1980s and 90s so much so that they defined an entire generation But by the 2000s attendance at malls around the country started to dwindle Many factors have contributed to the decline Within the next 15 to 20 years many believed half of America s malls could die Many factors have contributed to the decline one of the main reasons of their failure could be the rise of online shopping and technology Busy hubs of commerce and social activity that once stood proud are now in ruin relics of the past that serve as a stark reminder that American life isn t what it used to be 



The internet has in some way changed how people shop and think especially the young generation Consumers no longer see a distinction between online and offline shopping Whether it s searching on a laptop browsing main street shops or hanging out at the mall it s all shopping to them To adapt to the competitive new reality smart retailers are drawing on classic retailing truths of the past and augmenting them for the now Many dead malls will be condemned to execution by bulldozer but not all In some communities a dying mall offers an opportunity for rebirth the chance to turn a poorly conceived shopping center into something that serves the needs of the community at large In some cases dying malls have been turned into office spaces while others have found second lives as churches community centers or even hockey rinks By reimagining the American mall it seems that some are finally becoming the downtown that Gruen originally planned walkable mixed use areas that bring a renewed sense of urbanism to a dying suburban landscape Online shopping delivers consumers with levels of convenience Malls will never be able to compete with the limitless product collection price contrasts and always on nature of online Nor should they try Instead malls need to move in a different courses away from shopping experiences and toward a widened value proposition for consumers An emphasis on fine dining and events is also helping to make malls the hub of the local community a place to share quality time with friends and family not just wolf down a meal at the food court In the Dubai Mall for instance 



Fashion Avenue is an area dedicated to luxury brands and services custom built to the upscale customer including a distinct outside entrance and parking area In the Central Word mall in Bangkok home décor is on the 5th level technology on the 4th and fashion apparel on 1 3 This approach also represents a way for malls to ensure that customers don t get lost inside the ever increasing square footage of malls Another would be increasing productivity and efficiency of the current mall base through a strategic review of the tenant mix considering consumer needs and retailer economics This analysis should guide the organization of rent pricing and overall commercial planning On the cost front the focus should be on strict organization of direct and indirect costs combined with working efficiency which is critical for successful buyer experience transformations The most innovative malls today look nothing like their predecessors Although location remains the key real estate thought for malls a distinguished design and structure is progressively important Open air malls are lending onto an atmosphere of a town center especially when they incorporate mixed use real estate Many of the malls being built in urban areas are open and fully integrated with the landscape such as malls in a lot of Asian cities


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