Differences between malls and downtowns
Donovan Rypkema, a nationally recognized realCompetition from Malls. consultant, looked at the question of the role of downtowns and developed seven fundamental differences between downtowns and shopping centers.
1. In the successful downtown there is a sense of community ownership, independent of who the deed holders happen to be; it is "our" downtown. We may have our favorite shopping center but it belongs to an unnamed "them."
2. The downtown is the home of the institutional leadership of the community--local government, financial institutions, leading law firms, the newspaper, and others. The shopping center is the home of chain stores.
3. The shopping center exists in order to serve mercantile functions. The downtown serves a wide array of functions; selling goods is but one.
4. The downtown is the place of public expression and celebration. Anything more controversial than the sale of Girl Scout cookies is discouraged and usually prohibited in the shopping center.
5. The downtown is the place of interaction among the entire community--from the homeless to the bank president. Shopping center managers grow exceedingly nervous from such diversity.
6. The downtown is the place where there is room for experimentation and innovation. The economics of the occupancy in a shopping center virtually precludes experimentation and innovation.
7. The downtown is the place that best reflects the differentiation of the community. The shopping center reflects the socioeconomic and demographic commonality necessary to fit a Banana Republic, a B. Dalton, and a General Nutrition Center into the standard formula.
Donovan Rypkema. 1992. "The Downtown vs. the Shopping Mall." Historic Preservation News. November, 1992.
