The Birth And Death Of An Idea: The Enclosed Shopping Mall

A modification in tax law fifty years ago completely altered a well planned concept to create vibrant urban centers.

1 minute read

March 9, 2004, 9:00 AM PST

There is a tendency in America to "wax nostalgic for the traditional downtown," but traffic and single-use zoning have long since precluded the creation of vibrant mixed-use urban centers. Fifty years ago, Victor Gruen designed a "fully enclosed, introverted, multitiered, double-anchor-tenant shopping complex with a garden court under a skylight" as a response to the chaos of American suburbia. Malls teach us, he once said, that its the merchants who will save our urban civilization. Planning isnt a dirty word to them; good planning means good business. Gruen thought of the mall as "the centerpiece of a carefully planned new downtown." But then the economics of land development changed the picture.

Thanks to Zvi Leve

FULL STORY: The Terrazzo Jungle

Monday, March 8, 2004 in The New Yorker

Architecture United States

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Get top-rated, practical training

Start Learning

Advertise with us

Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools

This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.