In a week when I'm told by radio newscasters that it's colder here in Southern Ontario than at the North Pole, I find myself thinking about how pedestrian and Eco unfriendly the contemporary free-standing malls really are.
When I was quite young, my father was the manager of the Singer Sewing Machine store at the Greater Hamilton Shopping Centre in East Hamilton. One of the first "shopping malls" in North America, in 1955 the GHSC was built in a "plaza" format on a property that was once home to the Jockey Club racetrack. Considered to be a state-of-the-art shopping strategy, I remember well how cold it was in winter-time, moving from store-to-store in the original plaza. It was rather like shopping on a city street, although without the risk of having to cross through busy traffic.
Sometime in the early 1970's, this plaza was eventually closed-in and renamed the Centre Mall. I remember how nice it was to simply park the car and one-stop-shop in comfort, no matter what the weather in this amazing upgrade to the open-air plaza, both of which served East Hamilton well for many years.
Fast forward to 2008 and the newly constructed Centre on Barton, a throw back to the plaza format, although configured in reverse. Touted as new and pedestrian friendly, I consider it's design to be a move backward in the science of mall construction. I can't even visualize the pedestrian friendly aspect of this redevelopment, where most of the stores are placed around the perimeter of the property, either with their backs to the street or the entire store situated well away from any foot traffic.
These new "malls" actually seem to force pedestrians to walk long distances between stores, and motorists to waste gas driving around the vast parking lot. There is no protection from inclement weather for shoppers, greater risk of injury on ice and snow in winter, and impossible conditions for seniors and people with mobility issues. I also envision increased danger for pedestrians who must now dodge vehicles racing from store-to-store.
Add to the aforementioned pedestrian unfriendly circumstances, in an era where we're continually asked to help reduce fuel and electricity consumption related to heating and air conditioning, these free-standing malls must certainly demand higher heating and cooling costs due to the separated buildings with so many exterior walls.
I know that my father was a huge supporter of the closing-in of the Greater Hamilton Shopping Centre, and believed that the comfort provided by the renovation of the plaza was good for patrons and by extension, business. I believe he was right, and hope that these unfriendly malls will one day, like the other incarnations, be a thing of the past.
