2 minute read
Rethinking the Concept of City Centres
(ERGUN KOCAİLİ B., 2010) In the beginning of the history of shopping places, the shopping activity took place in open public spaces with other urban and public functions and activities of the city, like ancient Greek Agora or Roman Forum.
After centuries, the enclosed shopping mall separated urbanity and shopping activity from each other. These fully-enclosed and environmentally controlled consumption spaces reinterpreted the urban fabric to simulate a city image and a street-like atmosphere indoors. Inside the walls a new city was created, where people shop, eat, entertain, and even sleep, get married or have college education as in the example of the Mall of America.
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Today, urban fabric and shopping mall integration is becoming more important. Open space and sustainable design for shopping malls are the rising trends in the world. So, the existing shopping malls are opening, integrating with urban fabric and continually updating themselves to compete with the emerging shopping places. This recent regeneration trend is called ‘De-malling’ in the world.
Fig 2.5.1 Shanghai Greenland Center / Nikken Sekkei Source: https://www.archdaily.com/
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Research and Analysis
This is an interesting dilemma that; shopping malls are profit-oriented private properties, on the other hand, one can spend a whole day in it without doing any shopping. So, that’s why shopping malls are new public spaces.
Shopping malls become public magnets. People like to spend their leisure time at shopping malls. Even, when tourists come from out-of-town or from another country, they mostly visit popular shopping malls. Though the shopping malls are mostly expected as urban public spaces, the regeneration of a shopping mall is not only a ‘one building issue’; it must be considered as an urban issue also.
Pedestrian access is one of the important aspects of integration, which forms a continuous street life from the urban fabric through the shopping mall. The degree of urban public space quality of a shopping mall directly affects its success; either the urbanity is reinterpreted inside the shopping mall or in case of integration of urban fabric and shopping mall.
The historical evolution of shopping places has been a very long journey with all incredible transformations, innovations and influences. Starting with the ancient open market places, the shopping environment has always been defined as a public space and an urban area not only for trade but also for communication. Eventually, the shopping place became a fully enclosed and environmentally controlled space with the suburban mall, which was initiated as an urban center but remained detached in application in many examples before its developed contemporary followers.
Fig 2.5.2 Parque Toreo Source: https://www.archdaily.com/
Fig 2.5.3 Groove @ Central World Source: https://www.archdaily.com/
Rethinking the Concept of City Centres
