Blog Entries reposted from the my blog

Re-inventing the Mall

COSCTCO Has My Number

Re-inventing the Mall - Some Ideas
https://wp.me/p7NAzO-33u

Sent to the following Mall Operators
1. Springfield Town Center (Virginia)
o Address: 6500 Springfield Mall, Springfield, VA, 22150
o Phone: [phone]
o Email: Unfortunately, I couldn’t find a direct email address. However, you can contact them through the form on their contact page.

2. Tysons Corner Center
o Address: 1961 Chain Bridge Road Suite 305 McLean, VA 22102
o Phone: [phone]
o Email: Lindsay Petak, Senior Manager, Marketing. [e-mail]2
3. Pentagon City
o Address: 1100 S Hayes St, Arlington, VA 22202
o Phone: [phone]
o Email: Unfortunately, I couldn’t find a direct email address. However, you can contact them through the form on their contact page.

4. Rogue Valley Mall
o Address: 1600 N Riverside Ave, Medford, OR, 97501
o Phone: [phone]
o Email: Unfortunately, I couldn’t find a direct email address. However, you can contact them through the form on their contact page.

Dear Developers,

I am writing to you regarding the reinvention of shopping malls. The shopping mall, which dominated shopping in the United States and Europe from the late '50s until around 2005, has been in decline worldwide. In the U.S., the birthplace of the modern shopping mall, there are over 1500 malls still in existence, and there may only be around 150 left in a few years.
Main reasons for the decline of the Shopping Mall
The main reason for the decline in the shopping mall is because they were based on a fundamentally flawed understanding of human nature. People like to go out, to experience life in a variety of settings. They like convenience, having everything in one place. The mall divorced shopping, walling it off as a separate experience from going to the doctor, or seeing a movie, or eating in a nice restaurant, or shopping for groceries, or going to a sporting event. And malls were not located within walking distance of housing, employment, schools, medical facilities, or near public transit, usually at the ex-urban end of a metropolitan area. Meaning that going to a mall was for many people inconvenient, and expensive when you add in gas, parking, and other expenses.
Best Malls are a multi-use town center

The best malls, on the other hand, brought together services, retail, medical, dental, shopping including grocery shopping, multiple entertainment options, and were located relatively close to housing, community centers, schools, and transit options. In short, a mall focused solely on shopping without much else was doomed to fail when consumer shopping shifted from going to the mall to going online for most things.
No longer cool destinations
Malls went from being “cool” to being seen as old-fashioned, crowded, expensive, and dangerous, with fear of crime and also the possibility of terrorism. Not to mention most people when they go out want to accomplish a lot of things, not just shopping. Malls contained shopping but not much else to do, the restaurant choices were the usual, sad corporate clones, many did not have grocery stores, few had medical and other facilities, entertainment options were limited as well.

Difficult to get to for many people - Located at the extreme fringes of the urban areas
Many malls were inconvenient to get to for many people located on the far fringes of the metro area. Just for one example, if you live in Berkeley or Oakland, the nearest malls are in Emeryville or out past Vacaville or in Walnut Creek or in suburban San Jose. In any event, almost impossible to access via public transit and expensive to drive to given the price of gas.

Real Town Centers are the Way to Go

It is obvious that the malls have to be reinvented and reimagined for the changing environment that they are facing. Among one idea that has become quite popular is known as the Town Center idea. This means that the shopping mall would be reinvented as a mini central downtown, with parking lots on the edge providing secured, safe, covered parking. The town center would have medical, dental, services, as well as shopping, including grocery shopping, enhanced entertainment options and ideally be within walking distance of housing, employment centers, and have enhanced public transit. Many would also include housing on site as well as hotels and hospital clinics on site as well.
The more successful malls in the US fit this mold. I am thinking of Tysons, Pentagon City, Bethesda Mall in the DC area, the Mall of the Americas in Minnesota, and several malls in Southern California.
Learn from the East Asian Experience

On a side note, most shopping malls in Asia have long followed these trends and are true mini-commercial centers co-located with housing, services, and usually located on a subway line.
Springfield Mall VIrginia - Still a tired run down Mall despite re-development
Two malls in suburban Virginia present contrasting models for re-developing a mall. In the first example, Springfield Mall announced a major re-development into a town center. But what they ended up with was a half-ass transformation. Instead of gutting it and rebuilding it they rebuild parts of the Mall but kept the overall mall intact.

The mall is still a tired, old run-down mall but with additional parking. Same tired corporate clone restaurants etc. The movie theater has luxury seats and reserved seating and sells beer and wine. On the other hand, it is walking distance from both the metro, housing, and lots of big box stores nearby, and several hotels also walking distance nearby. Lots of strip malls adjacent as well as not being too far from COSTCO. No medical or other services though and limited entertainment options. I would give it a C although the initial idea was promising.

Landmark Mall Town Center - A good initial plan
In the second example, the Landmark Mall, they gutted the entire mall and are rebuilding it from the ground up. The new mall will feature a full-service hospital, housing, hotels, retail, offices, and enhanced restaurants and entertainment options, and feature bus shuttles to the nearby Metro, Mark Center, and the Pentagon. At least according to the announcement, it should be a real town center rather than the half-assed Springfield Town Center. Not really walkable to other nearby adjacent shopping areas or restaurants though, which is a big negative at least for me.

I would give this one a B.

Install Solar power, mini-wind turbines and water harvesting systems now

All the big shopping malls are missing a big opportunity – they all should be installing solar power, mini-wind turbines, and water harvesting systems and be close to 100 percent carbon neutral. They should also have enhanced recycling and enhanced public transit. Governments should be encouraging such widespread expansion of solar, wind, and water harvesting systems as an essential element in battling climate change.
Build affordable housing as part of the re-developed Town Center

One more idea to consider is that these new town centers should offer reduced rent to people living at the mall to reduce commuting times for people who live in or near the mall. This is in line with the urban planner's mantra which I fully subscribe to of making everything within 15 minutes from your house.
I hope you find these insights useful in your future developments. I look forward to seeing how you will reinvent and reimagine these spaces.

Best regards,

John (Jake) Cosmos Aller
715 Rocky Road
Medford, Oregon 97504
703-436-1402
e-mail: [e-mail]
web: https://theworldaccordingtocosmos.com

Retired US Foreign Service officer
Note: I have been going to malls since the early 70’s in Berkeley, California
Bing-Co-Pilot provided some additional examples of successful Mall Re-invention.

Examples of Reinvented Malls:

1. Austin Community College (ACC) Highland Campus: The former Highland Mall in Austin, Texas, was transformed into a campus for the Austin Community College. The campus now features a huge indoor courtyard, a bookstore, multiple kitchens for the college’s culinary program, and a television studio for radio, television, and film students1.

2. Barton’s Bonbonniere: This candy store in New York was designed by Victor Gruen to draw passersby into the store with window displays that put the candies in front of customers much like a jeweler might lay out a set of precious necklaces2.

3. On Running Brand: This Brand Has Put Tech To Use By Establishing A 12-Meter Track With marker less motion capture to analyze customer running motions in its flagship store. The store then creates a full biomechanical profile of the shopper’s running gait and uses it to offer customized product recommendations3.
Co-pilot presented addition Reasons for the Decline of Shopping Malls:

1. Rise of Online Shopping: Online shopping has become increasingly popular, and this is one of the key reasons why shopping malls are dying. More and more people are opting to do their shopping from the comfort of their own homes4.

2. High Maintenance Costs: As shopping malls become increasingly empty, the cost of maintaining them becomes higher. With fewer people visiting malls, there’s less money to be made from things like rent and food court sales4.

3. Fast Fashion: Shopping habits have changed a lot in recent years, and malls have struggled to keep up with changing tastes and trends. Fast fashion is one such trend, and the rise in its popularity means that people are now more likely to buy their clothes from cheaper, more trend-focused online retailers rather than from traditional department stores4.
4. Decrease in Foot Traffic: One of the most obvious signs that shopping malls are dying is the fact that there are fewer people visiting them4.
1fastcompany.com2thenation.com3journey.world4eposnow.com5camoinassociates.com6worldfinance.com7livability.com8chicagotribu
ne.com9atlantaregional.org+4 more

Statistics on Mall Closures:
• The United States is home to an estimated 1,150 malls1.
• Some sources project that by 2032, there may be as few as 150 malls still in operation1.
• Projections indicate that up to 87% of large shopping malls may close over 10 years1.
• The number of malls declined 16.7% per year from 2017 to 20221.
• 2 million square feet of mall space was demolished in 20221.
• The nationwide mall vacancy rate is 110% higher than the overall average retail vacancy rate1.
• Malls had an 8.6% vacancy rate at the end of 20231.

Repurposing of Malls:
• Empty malls are often repurposed; subsequent uses include sports centers, flex spaces, restaurants, and self-storage1.
• 31% of vacant malls subsequently acquired new tenants through pop-up1.
• 16% of empty malls reopened as mixed-use centers1.
• 8% of vacant malls became warehouses, 7% became residential housing, 5% became delivery or distribution centers1.

1capitaloneshopping.com2businessinsider.com3fashionunited.com4journal.businesstoday.org