The official representative of mall management has appeared out of nowhere. She is dressed in a crisp uniform; her security pass flaps from a lanyard around her neck as she strides purposefully towards us.
In her left hand is a large walkie-talkie. She looks like she is about to hit someone. Unlike other mall-goers, she will not be influenced by midnight sales or flashy marketing, nor is she suffering urban dementia. There will be no impulse purchases on her way over to me and the small group of students who are discussing the finer points of mall architecture and how it is designed to create a landscape of consumer fantasy. I lower my eyes from her looming gaze and continue talking with my students.
PEDESTRIANS FIRST
The mall is an invention that completely backfired on its inventor, architect Victor Gruen, an Austrian Jew who emigrated to the United States in 1938 to avoid the looming hand of the Third Reich. He landed in New York with an architect's degree, welldeveloped socialist politics and no English.
He started to work as an architectural draughtsman.
As it turned out, Gruen had a knack for designing commercial retail property. He produced successful designs for boutique retailers on Fifth Avenue and Broadway and the clothing chain Grayson's. By the time he moved to Los Angeles in the 1940s, he had branched out into broader urban planning work.
When he arrived in the US, he had been struck by the contrast between the pedestrian-friendly public places of Europe, designed centuries before the invention of the automobile, and those of his new home where the power of the car dictated the use of public space. He was a great believer that public urban landscapes need to revolve around pedestrians.
Denne historien er fra February 24 - March 1, 2024-utgaven av New Zealand Listener.
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Denne historien er fra February 24 - March 1, 2024-utgaven av New Zealand Listener.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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First-world problem
Harrowing tales of migrants attempting to enter the US highlight the political failure to fully tackle the problem.
Applying intelligence to AI
I call it the 'Terminator Effect', based on the premise that thinking machines took over the world.
Nazism rears its head
Smirky Höcke, with his penchant for waving with a suspiciously straight elbow and an open palm, won't get to be boss of either state.
Staying ahead of the game
Will the brave new world of bipartisanship that seems to be on offer with an Infrastructure Commission come to fruition?
Grasping the nettle
Broccoli is horrible. It smells, when being cooked, like cat pee.
Hangry? Eat breakfast
People who don't break their fast first thing in the morning report the least life satisfaction.
Chemical reaction
Nitrates in processed meats are well known to cause harm, but consumed from plant sources, their effect is quite different.
Me and my guitar
Australian guitarist Karin Schaupp sticks to the familiar for her Dunedin concerts.
Time is on my side
Age does not weary some of our much-loved musicians but what keeps them on the road?
The kids are not alright
Nuanced account details how China's blessed generation has been replaced by one consumed by fear and hopelessness.
