The Question Continues - Mixed-Use Case Studies
Click. Add to your Shopping Cart. I'm excited. Click. Are you ready to checkout? Yes, but let me look over my cart one more time. I'm unsure. Should I get it? Will I like it? Well, if I don't, at least I can return it for free. And it's free shipping now that I'm spending more than $50. So I'll get that other pair of shoes too, why not, right? Click. Order placed. I take a sip of tea and immediately check my email to see if my purchase has shipped.
Sound familiar? Of course, it does. It is difficult to escape the attraction of convenience.
Shopping centers face a monumental crisis as its fighting the convenience of online sites like Amazon, whose entire business model is one-stop shopping at the click of a mouse. It is brilliant. That is unless you are a competitor.
According to Ellen Dunham-Jones, an architect and professor at Georgia Tech, in the 20th century, the US was very aware of the idea of convenience and built 1,200 enclosed shopping malls. In 2015, a third sit empty or very close to empty. Read the article here: America's Dying Malls Are Getting a Second Chance as Hospitals, Churches, and Parks - The Atlantic
Redevelopment is not just about the physical site. Substantial effort must also be made into the new identity of the site as well as its purpose in serving its users and greater community.
RE-imagine. RE-purpose. RE-brand. RE-invest in RE-development. This is going to catch on.
The indoor shopping mall's disastrous conditions have gained some steam in attracting investors willing to take the risk of redevelopment to mixed-use churches, hospitals, office space, and educational facilities.
Ivanhoé Cambridge, the owner of Oakridge Centre in Vancouver, British Columbia has partnered with Gensler to redevelop an existing center into a "culturally and environmentally sustainable model that harnesses the potential of a large urban site situated at a transit hub." Various amenities will include grocery, office, residential, restaurant, and retail space.
The Ratkovich Company and partners had a similar plan when they took over The Bloc, Los Angelos, California. An essential part of their program was an urban rooftop square and direct access to transit. Clare De Briere, chief operating officer at The Ratkovich Company, says The Bloc will be fully accessible via walking, biking, driving, and public transportation.
Read about both of these developments here. Mall Redevelopment Strategies: Keeping Today's Malls Competitive | NAIOP
Original Research Question:
The rise and fall of indoor shopping centers. How can the architecture and design field reinvent the in-person hospitality/retail experience as it battles online shopping convenience?
Research Question Revision 1:
The rise and fall of indoor shopping centers: RE-development and RE-branding of convenience.
On my mind for next time: What are the KPIs of recent redevelopments that have been successful? What can the in-person experience offer that online convenience can not?
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