Opinions on Dead malls

[Jade]

What would you guys do to revive/reuse these dying/dead malls? I've heard interesting ideas about turning them into housing. It would be a cheap and quick way to get a lot of land, recreational space, space for businesses could be revived, and you'd have sections of the mall dedicated to housing the very same people who would frequent these businesses. I think it would work best if companies continue to look towards remote work.

A big part of the reason they're dying is because they were superfluous in the first place. Back when malls were extremely popular, there was a massive boom and mini-malls were built everywhere, near every rinky-dink town you could think of east of the great plains. Now only the malls that were actually built in locations with long-term viability are still alive. As for what to do with the dead ones, I say tear em down, rip up the parking lots, and start replanting woodland all over.

 

[the-dude-abides]

What are your opinions on Dead malls? Do you like them? Do you hate them? Have you walked in a Dead mall? I want to know your opinions.

I'll start first: I think Dead malls are a comfort place where you want to stop time and go look back at what that mall was before. It fills me with nostalgia and memories (sometimes) from when I was a kid and went to malls with my family. I watch this vlogger that has a series of Dead malls if you are intrested, (I linked one of my favorites videos, but you can check out the other malls she had reviewed)

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0AISkumKsRE&t=182s

The dead mall in my city is just depressing, not nostalgiac. I wish they would knock it down and build housing or something there.

 

[Silence The Mothers Song]

Dead malls fascinate me. I've always adored the lonesome vibe they get, as if I stumbled on a place full of long-forgotten memories (it's a retarded way to think but thinking retardly is what makes life fun). I especially like how sobering it feels, because there isn't crowds of people and constant stimulation every way you turn, it's just quiet, and you're left to your thoughts.

Overall very cool, though I think dead malls are something you can't really visit with friends because it disturbs that pretty vibe... and also because most people don't like dead malls

 

[bnuungus]

and also because most people don't like dead malls

mostly bc a lot of them are inhabited by coked up homeless people.

 

[Silence The Mothers Song]

mostly bc a lot of them are inhabited by coked up homeless people.

luckily im my area there isn't any.

 

[Novem_IX]

I love dead (or dying) malls. Pic related is from a mall I grew up going to. Every time I go there now, I wonder how it's still open...almost no one is there, very little has changed since the 90s in the way of decor, and the whole place has a feeling of emptiness and tranquility. Somehow it's still alive, but I fear not for very much longer.

 

[nakadashi]

View attachment 44276
I love dead (or dying) malls. Pic related is from a mall I grew up going to. Every time I go there now, I wonder how it's still open...almost no one is there, very little has changed since the 90s in the way of decor, and the whole place has a feeling of emptiness and tranquility. Somehow it's still alive, but I fear not for very much longer.

Did you take that pic? Is it film?
Love how 90's it looks.

 

[Novem_IX]

Did you take that pic? Is it film?
Love how 90's it looks.

No I stole it from google

 

[Some_porcupine]

View attachment 44276
I love dead (or dying) malls. Pic related is from a mall I grew up going to. Every time I go there now, I wonder how it's still open...almost no one is there, very little has changed since the 90s in the way of decor, and the whole place has a feeling of emptiness and tranquility. Somehow it's still alive, but I fear not for very much longer.

picrel thread: https://forum.agoraroad.com/index.php?threads/dead-malls.6305/

 

[RojoUsagi122]

Not sure if this counts, but one time a few years ago, I went to a Shopko that's closing down at the time and the store is basically a shopping graveyard, only some selves here and there and maybe some furniture too. I also got Paper Mario Sticker star from the same store too. It's probably the only time I ever went to a store that's about to shut down at some point.
(I was going to mention Kmart stores but I never went into a dead Kmart store though.)

 

[Alaska Palms]

I fucking love dead malls both as a concept but as an experience. I'm big into liminal spaces as well so naturally I gravitate to dead malls as sort of being the epitome of a liminal space.

We had one dead mall in the city that was fully renovated and now has life again, but man going in there was always a trip. Quiet but small sounds of the building and distant life.

 

[RisingThumb]

What are your opinions on Dead malls? Do you like them? Do you hate them? Have you walked in a Dead mall? I want to know your opinions.

I dislike them, especially in the UK when and where they exist. Land is a premium in the UK, and dead malls are the result or extortionate business rent prices that utterly price out local businesses. The worst cases are when their history is that they knocked down an old arcade or other older architecture to make room for it, which in turn makes the area look worse, sticking out like a sore thumb and inconsistent with the rest of the local city. I've been in them before, and most of the time, the only reason to use them in the UK is for parking or for public toilets.

An example of malls done right can be seen in the Philippines. They are such that they have pretty much everything in them, though for the convenience of everything in them, they have a slight premium on the costs compared to buying from sari-sari stores. You have churches in malls, you have air conditioning, entertainment and leisure areas, gyms, restaurants, supermarket etc. Additionally the business rents there are clearly not so bad as there are a handful of smaller more "local businesses" in them too. It's impressive.

A dead mall, the same as a dead leisure centre is a tragic waste of resources and this tragedy is compounded when land, buildings or planning permission is a premium.