There we were, skipping and laughing ironically through Kitchener-Waterloo’s largest mall. My grad school roommate and current awesome friend, Jim, and I were hilariously lampooning the community building potential of malls by drawing a clear counterpoint to how they are joyless, consumptive, and inauthentic.
Malls, though often criticized as soulless commercial wastelands, can also be logistical wonders of urban infrastructure and social hubs. They provide safe, climate-controlled environments where people of all ages can gather, socialize, and access essential services. Despite their consumerist roots, malls are evolving into vibrant community centers to address modern challenges, including climate change and loneliness. This trend sees malls evolving from traditional retail spaces into mixed-use community hubs.
A few weeks ago, my oldest son traveled to a local mall with some friends for an afternoon of “hanging out” is what I think the kids still say. The experience shifted my perspective about the value of malls as well as their purpose and potential as catalysts for community building.
Safe, connected spaces
Malls provide safe and accessible spaces for communities, especially for folks with lower autonomy and agency. They offer safe, climate-controlled spaces where tweens and teens can socialize and develop independence. If I’m being honest, the parents of kiddos on my son’s trip had a great time connecting, too.
Integrated with public transit, malls provide accessible and secure venues for young people to interact semi-supervised, which eases parental concerns while fostering autonomy. While I’m not a fan of the monolithic stores and food options that litter every mall in Canada, these consumer mainstays make them appealing hangout spots. The presence of security and staff offers supervision, reassuring both parents and wary mallgoers or store managers, while allowing teens some freedom.
This said, curfews and parental escort policies, often in response to perceived unruly behaviour or racial profiling, can limit teens’ freedom and sometimes disproportionately affect certain groups, raising concerns about equity.
One of the greatest risks facing youth is loneliness. These new community hubs aim to combat loneliness by offering spaces for social interaction and cultural activities. Modern malls now feature live music venues, art exhibits, libraries, and recreational facilities, fostering a sense of community and belonging. This shift is a response to changing consumer behavior, where people seek experiences and social connections rather than just shopping.
Cool climate for a hot world
Another massive risk to mitigate for future generations is climate change.
Malls are adaptable and ever-changing urban landscapes. They are also climate-controlled, often filled with lush vegetation (or at least a sprinkling of plants) and the really good ones have fountains.
These amenities and transformations are driven by the need to create sustainable communities that reduce environmental impact. By integrating housing and commercial spaces, these developments encourage walkability and reduce reliance on cars, ultimately lowering carbon emissions. Moreover, the inclusion of green spaces and community gardens promotes environmental sustainability and enhances residents’ well-being.
From heat waves to polar vortexes, humans are experiencing more climate volatility in our everyday lives. Most people on Earth do not benefit from climate-controlled housing. Today, malls provide shelter, consistent temperatures, and proximity to nature, which reflects how they are weirdly critical to humanity’s adaptive response to climate change.
Community ownership potential
In Canada, malls are being revitalized to integrate residential, commercial, and cultural elements, creating vibrant urban centers. For example, Cloverdale Mall in Etobicoke is being transformed into a mixed-use neighborhood, featuring residential units, parks, and improved public transit. Vancouver’s Oakridge Park is being redeveloped into a five-million-square-foot town center, incorporating retail, housing, a community center, and extensive green spaces, including a nine-acre park.
Revitalizing old malls into community hubs requires public/private partnerships, patience, phased development, improved circulation, and embracing the community’s history and future. These principles are amplified by the cooperative enterprise model, which enables sustainable development and humanistic values to meet community needs. Perhaps the ascension of malls-as-community-hub can gain traction through cooperativism and community ownership.
In Edmonton, the McCauley Development Co-operative raised $1 million to purchase The Piazza strip mall, intending to transform it into a family-friendly business area. This initiative highlights the power of community investment in preserving local spaces and tailoring them to public needs, ensuring they serve as vibrant, multi-use community centers.
The cooperative enterprise model ensures that who controls the enterprise directs its purpose. For North America’s malls, the separation between ownership and control limits these unique and often shambled spaces from realizing their community building potential. In Edmonton, the McCauley Development Co-operative aligns capital, ownership, and control to create mixed-use community spaces. Investor Teresa Spinelli emphasizes community benefit over profit, envisioning family-friendly businesses. The co-op honors current leases while planning future ventures, aspiring to enhance the area with amenities like an ice cream shop or restaurant.
These examples demonstrate how malls can be reimagined as community-owned spaces, blending historical significance with modern amenities to enable access, connection, and naturalism in a hot, fragmented, and lonely world.
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Image by Michal Jarmoluk from Pixabay