Such inward focus for an urban shopping center was in vogue in the 1970s. Planners today labor to make sidewalks inviting with well-lit storefronts, outdoor cafes and greenery. But back then, many builders tried to create oases where people could escape from the noise, heat and perhaps danger found on the streets.
Do you find that to be the case with planning and development in the 50 years post the 1929 Stock Market Crash? Don't know how much it has to do with a more inward grounded perspective or modest property values or little wealth inequality or the rise of the auto and suburban sprawl all maybe contributing to grand urban projects and architectural statements being less economically viable or even feasible.
The reason urban malls like Macy Plaza were built the way they were built........massive, inward focused, presenting a very solidly face to the street etc.........was because when they were built......in the 1970s.........there was a lot of crime and upheaval in many American cities. In order for people to feel safe, bldgs were designed so that you could enter by car from the street and then go shopping or meet with someone without having to go out onto the dangerous streets. Similar structures were replicated throughout the country......the Renaissance Center in Detroit, the Bonaventure in DTLA, Peachtree Plaza in Atlanta, the Embarcadero in SF etc. In the last 15 years, many of those complexes have been remodeled in a similar fashion to what is about to happen to Macy Plaza where the structures become much more accessible to the street.........and the focus becomes outward rather than inward. Its been my contention that Americans did not understand nor like their cities for much of our history. That attitude seems to be changing...........esp among the Millennials. That's why we are seeing cities like DC, Seattle, Boston, Portland, SF, Denver, Albany etc start to grow again after losing population for decades. That's why cities like Seattle and Portland which are more advanced in the trend are having to de-mothball schools because for the first time in decades the number of school age kids in those cities is growing. With my background in urban planning, its my hope the trend continues. ;) |
