Just realized I was wrong about mall decay being purely economic

Had a chat with a retired city planner at a diner in Akron last month. He told me the real killer for malls wasn't Amazon, but the way cities let parking minimums destroy the pedestrian flow around them. Has anyone else noticed how the surviving malls all have weirdly good walk-up access?

2 comments

2 Comments

kimreed1mo ago

Four of the surviving malls near me all have sidewalks that actually connect to the neighborhoods around them. It's like cities forgot that people walk to places for decades before cars took over everything. Maybe that city planner was onto something about parking lots killing the vibe before Amazon ever got involved.

uma6851mo ago

Wait, four malls near you still have those old sidewalks? That blows my mind!