the.com/shopping mall
america's answer to the town square, minus the town, plus a food court.
means an enclosed complex of stores built around the radical idea that people will drive somewhere to walk indoors.
from architect victor gruen designed the first enclosed mall, southdale center in edina, minnesota, in 1956, hoping to recreate european city life; he later disowned the concept, horrified it became a suburban sprawl machine instead.
gruen's regrethe called malls a bastardization of his ideas
peak countus had over 2,500 malls by the 1990s
dead mallshundreds now sit empty, nicknamed greyfields
anchor logicdepartment stores were placed far apart to force walking
for instance
mall of america — bloomington, minnesota, 1992, fits 258 boeing 747s inside
southdale center — edina, minnesota, 1956, the original enclosed mall
west edmonton mall — canada, 1981, once the world's largest, has a water park
dubai mall — 2008, contains an aquarium and an ice rink