4 ms·

I hope not. Malls exist to satisfy people's need to walk around in their environment in our otherwise un-walkable cities. Maybe without malls, we will start to

I hope not. Malls exist to satisfy people's need to walk around in their environment in our otherwise un-walkable cities. Maybe without malls, we will start to demand more walkable areas in our cities and towns.

hombre_fatal 4y ago
It sounds funny, but there's something to your comment. I'm visiting my girlfriend's parents in Monterrey (MX) and we have incorporated the nearby mall into our daily 10k-steps walking habit. It's air-conditioned in this awful heat. It's fun to people-watch. It's more interesting than doing yet another stroll around the neighborhood/park in gym clothes. Maybe while there we incidentally buy an icecream, coffee, or a new t-shirt as a bonus, or maybe not. We joke (darkly) that when we buy a house, we'll need to be sure it's near a mall so that we stay in shape. I would add that the mall is also a destination to be around people, to see and be seen. There aren't a lot of places to do that. At the upscale one near me, people dress up. They aren't just romping through it to buy some shoes from Macy's and gtfo. They are walking with loved ones and lovers. Teens and quinceañeras are meeting up in it. That said, the semi-upscale mall in my hometown in Texas was also thriving the last time I was there. Clearly, not all malls are doomed. "Why not just use Amazon?" seems to miss something that malls have that Amazon.com can never have. Hopefully malls build on that. The mall next to me in Monterrey just built a new section with an indoor jungle gym for kids (basically a local park with A/C, imagine), a museum, roller-blading, and it has various community events. That seems to be the right direction. It's people things. We need more people things! I suspect we are desperate for it.
- RajT88 4y ago
  Seconded. Walking around without much goal in mind other than to walk around where people are is the strong suit of a mall. It's just a shame in much of NA, there's no malls open late night for night owls. I gather it's more of a thing in Asia.
- caradine 4y ago
  Yeah, exactly. There aren't many places to just enjoy existing and walking around in public in most U.S. cities because we've built most of our cities around automobiles. U.S. cities consist of islands to hop between in a sea of traffic, instead of places to just be. Malls satisfy that very human need. Dense, walkable, neighborhoods also satisfy that need.

hombre_fatal 4y ago

It sounds funny, but there's something to your comment. I'm visiting my girlfriend's parents in Monterrey (MX) and we have incorporated the nearby mall into our daily 10k-steps walking habit. It's air-conditioned in this awful heat. It's fun to people-watch. It's more interesting than doing yet another stroll around the neighborhood/park in gym clothes. Maybe while there we incidentally buy an icecream, coffee, or a new t-shirt as a bonus, or maybe not. We joke (darkly) that when we buy a house, we'll need to be sure it's near a mall so that we stay in shape. I would add that the mall is also a destination to be around people, to see and be seen. There aren't a lot of places to do that. At the upscale one near me, people dress up. They aren't just romping through it to buy some shoes from Macy's and gtfo. They are walking with loved ones and lovers. Teens and quinceañeras are meeting up in it. That said, the semi-upscale mall in my hometown in Texas was also thriving the last time I was there. Clearly, not all malls are doomed. "Why not just use Amazon?" seems to miss something that malls have that Amazon.com can never have. Hopefully malls build on that. The mall next to me in Monterrey just built a new section with an indoor jungle gym for kids (basically a local park with A/C, imagine), a museum, roller-blading, and it has various community events. That seems to be the right direction. It's people things. We need more people things! I suspect we are desperate for it.

RajT88 4y ago
Seconded. Walking around without much goal in mind other than to walk around where people are is the strong suit of a mall. It's just a shame in much of NA, there's no malls open late night for night owls. I gather it's more of a thing in Asia.
caradine 4y ago
Yeah, exactly. There aren't many places to just enjoy existing and walking around in public in most U.S. cities because we've built most of our cities around automobiles. U.S. cities consist of islands to hop between in a sea of traffic, instead of places to just be. Malls satisfy that very human need. Dense, walkable, neighborhoods also satisfy that need.