America at the Mall: The Cultural Role of a Retail Utopia

by Lisa Scharoun

Overview

Since the construction of the first fully enclosed shopping center in 1952, the shopping mall has evolved into the heart of many suburban areas across the United States. More than simply a place to purchase goods, this veritable "temple of consumerism" has become a primary place for community and social interaction and an essential element in many citizens' day-to-day lives.

This study explores the spiritual, emotional and physical effects of the enclosed shopping mall on the public, chronicling the growth of the mall, its role in shaping urban and suburban life, its positive and negative impacts on society and the environment, and its future viability. As this work shows, the mall remains rich in symbolic influence, and in many ways mirrors the American condition.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780786462728
Publisher:	McFarland & Company, Incorporated Publishers
Publication date:	04/23/2012
Pages:	271
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.70(d)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Lisa Scharoun, a Professor and Head of School, School of Design at the Queensland University of Technology in Brisbane, Australia, is a multi-award winning teacher, researcher and designer with expertise in Visual Communications and Cross-cultural design. She has published research on the symbolism of shopping malls in the Australasian Journal of Popular Culture and The Conversation. She has exhibited her design, photography and fine art in the United States, United Kingdom, Australia and China.

Table of Contents

Introduction 1

1 The Birth of the Mall 7

2 Suburbia and the American Dream 19

3 The Decline of Downtown 32

4 The Mall and Religion 46

5 Main Street 56

6 Teens and the Mall 69

7 Senior Citizens and the Mall 78

8 The Mall as "Public" Space 88

9 The Mall and the Environment 97

10 Dawn of the Dead Mall 108

11 The Rise of the Big Boxes 120

12 Regional Mall Case Studies 134

13 Case Studies: Super-Regional Malls, Lifestyle Centers, and Hybrids 170

14 New Urbanism and the Death of the Urban Mall 198

15 The Future of Public Space in America 225

Notes 233

Bibliography 251

Index 261

Editorial Reviews

This book covers it all.... Recommended”—Choice; “charts the rise and fall of the shopping mall, looking at the mall not just as a commercial site, but as a rich institution of American culture”—Reference & Research Book News.

From the Publisher

"charts the rise and fall of the shopping mall, looking at the mall not just as a commercial site, but as a rich institution of American culture"

Reference & Research Book News

This book covers it all.... Recommended

Choice