By I know they are sites of capitalism, but when I go to the mall, I’m there to find things I need to make my own tools of system dismantlement and comforts through the storm. As we re-examine many of these spaces, they will thrive only if we see them as
Are You Mad About the Mall?– An Urbanist Holiday Tale
It’s the holiday season. You went to the mall or the mall-like replacement that’s available in your city or town. You left in one of two ways, both of which made you mad about the mall. The first way, you couldn’t get enough of the mall. You’re enamored with all
My Ultimate Urbanist Gift Guide
This year I decided to go ahead and talk about how to buy gifts. I feel this list can be applied to any time a year and any holiday. After all, these things are unique and they’re always greatly appreciated by any urbanist I know. I would ask your
The Lost Corners of Suburbia
Belk at Four Seasons Mall IHOP on Hillsborough Street Two Guys Pizza on Hillsborough Street Wachovia at Spring Valley Plaza All these things used to be on the corner of something. All these places are places I made memories in. All of these places are gone or soon to be
A Black Urbanist Book Preview: The Market
I’m starting this book with the market, as without the market, we would not have urbanism. Churches and homes and farms and schools and even some general stores survive and thrive without being in urban areas. You could always walk the terrain of rural areas, as well as navigate with
The Death and Life of Malls, a Video Friday Reflection.
So we’ve spent all week talking about the nature of retail. Yet, today’s videos represent how much retail is a cycle, where America has led the way in sprawl, yet is now realizing why it’s not such a good idea. The first video is a montage of America’s dead malls,
Putting Place and Experience Back Into Retail
Placemaking is not just creating experiences, but pushing for necessary services and goods to be purchased as close as possible to home. What kind of places then, do we all want to shop at, at least those of us who are concerned with the effects of sprawl, fair labor, humanely
The Department Store of the Amazon and New Urbanist Age
As of this writing, I’ve just learned that the Belk at the Four Seasons Mall, the last remaining enclosed mall in Greensboro, will close at the beginning of 2015. I fully expect two things at that mall. One, it will go the way of the Carolina Circle Mall, our other
Malls and Main Streets–Two Sides of the Same Coin?
Say the words mall and main street and two very different images come up. I’m going to guess the former image involves neon signs, fountains and Sbarro, while the latter may also include a fountain, but a barber pole and Sheriff Andy Taylor. Well, until recently,when popular acceptance of new
#ThrowbackThursday: Does It Matter Who Owns the Corner Store?
This week’s #throwbackthursday post piggybacks on recent statements by the RZA, a member of the Wu-Tang Clan. In an interview with the website Shadow and Act, he stated that gentrification is just the natural order of things. He also mentioned that people have to learn how to utilize it. The
