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I found this 1982 documentary about malls fascinating, describing them as the future of shopping: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G2BlyvN6EeI https://www.youtu

I found this 1982 documentary about malls fascinating, describing them as the future of shopping: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G2BlyvN6EeI https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G2BlyvN6EeI On the one hand, the confident forecasting seems silly in hindsight. You had malls for a hot moment and you decided they would last forever? On the other hand, that hindsight is humbling. Things change. What do we know even now? Society changes. Maybe malls will make a stunning comeback in a few decades. I can't imagine how. Vastly cheaper land or package shipping becoming somehow unsustainable, or just the industry cleans house and survives through attrition. Or maybe online retail will be forever. Or maybe it will be displaced by something unthinkable in thirty years. For all I know some AI concierge service will be a strict dictator over all my finances and purchases, and I'll never touch money, I'll just receive a box of things the machine thinks I need each week. Who knows. We had a thirty year trend that some people thought was forever. It ended, now we all feel smug, think we learned some deeper truth about society. StrongTowns is convinced we should (albeit modestly) reinvest in downtowns. I don't know, that's a lot of conviction for me. Sure, maybe? Am I the only one who feels like I know less now than when this all started?

heurist 8y ago
Responding to your first question: Owners are trying to turn unsuccessful malls into medical centers, places of worship, offices, schools, etc.
jonhendry18 8y ago
"Maybe malls will make a stunning comeback in a few decades. I can't imagine how" They still make some sense in places not blessed with San Diego weather. The problem is, people don't have disposable income to spend at them. (Another problem might be the lack of book, magazine, toy, and music stores. The stores that are left probably have a clientele that is mostly women, and males don't have much reason to visit the mall and spend money.)

heurist 8y ago

Responding to your first question: Owners are trying to turn unsuccessful malls into medical centers, places of worship, offices, schools, etc.

jonhendry18 8y ago

"Maybe malls will make a stunning comeback in a few decades. I can't imagine how" They still make some sense in places not blessed with San Diego weather. The problem is, people don't have disposable income to spend at them. (Another problem might be the lack of book, magazine, toy, and music stores. The stores that are left probably have a clientele that is mostly women, and males don't have much reason to visit the mall and spend money.)