Where are you going?
This outfit with this hair?
Hello, bye bye, I am so at the mall.
Between 1970 and 2017, the number of American malls quadrupled.
Population didn’t even double in the same time frame.
Malls were opening really, really fast.
That growth slowed down.
About a quarter of the malls could close in the next 5 years.
Some people call this the death of the mall — and that’s kind of true.
Here’s why that matters.
Our lives are lived in 1 of 3 places:
The first is the home.
The second is where you work.
And the ‘third place’... well that’s anywhere outside of those two.
There are 8 qualities that make for great third places:
It sounds kind of academic, but trust me you know it when you see them:
The best “third places” invite conversation
They’re close to home.
And lots of time can be spent without spending much money
These are places where people can exchange ideas, have a good time, and build relationships.
In the 1950s, America had a problem:
Their brand new suburbs lacked quality third places.
This guy wanted to solve that problem.
So he designed the first enclosed shopping mall.
This is Southdale Center.
The world's most fabulous shopping center...
The format caught on like wildfire, fueled by tax incentives for new developments — that
included malls.
Soon, they were being built by the dozen.
Over the next 50 years there were over 1000 enclosed shopping malls scattered across America.
Along the way, they became the hangout for American youth.
The thing about that is, even Victor Gruen admitted his design was a monumental failure.
Because when you look at the qualities of great third places… malls deliver on some,
but not all.
They’re safe, and well lit
No one has to play host at the mall
And they’re accessible no matter the weather.
But on the flip side, you can’t really walk to the mall — you need a car.
And once you’re there, conversation should be the main activity.
In a mall, that’s shopping.
Third places should make everyone feel equal.
The mall, by contrast, is more fun for the rich.
Now contrast that with a different take on the third place — the National Mall in Washington
DC.
It’s open for long hours
The mood is playful
It’s free.
You can visit with a short walk, or by public transportation.
With indoor and outdoor public spaces
This adds up to an environment that fosters... community.
When you look at these two side by side, which would you choose?
while some malls are being repurposed, others are just getting torn down...
This is in part because of the recession in 2008; people had less money to spend.
While more than 90% of purchases in the US are still made in physicals store… more
people are getting their goods online.
And we aren’t just shopping online.
Our relationships and connections are going digital as well.
More than 3 in 4 people in the US has a smartphone.
When social media is used to actively connect with others, it can be like a digital “third
place.”
But studies like this one show that some digital communication can affect your mental or even
physical health.
The mall occupies a unique space in America’s conscience.
And that’s largely because we have an innate need for face-to-face contact.
And in some areas, the mall was that place.
But as more malls shut down so too are other third places, and the replacements often have
little stake in the local community.
But there is a better way — consider the public beaches of downtown Detroit, or the
redevelopment of Bryant Park in New York City.
Or, you could just support a locally-owned coffee shop.
So the decline of the mall doesn’t need to be the death of the third place –it’s
up to us to decide where those spaces will be.