Rethinking Retail Centers

Many traditional shopping malls and retail centers have struggled to adapt to changes in consumer habits over the last several years, seeing a significant decrease in shoppers and an increase in tenant vacancies. These properties, and the surrounding communities, could benefit from rethinking how the space is used, and include services and amenities (recreation, health and education-related, for example) that may not traditionally be associated with a mall.

RoTo Architects has worked on several projects of this type, including Ibn Battuta in Dubai, and New Park Mall and Montclair Plaza, both in California.

Ibn Battuta was an exceptionally large building that was reconcieved as a sector of the city, with cultural theming.

New Park, in Silicone Vally, used the CES Expo as a model to showcase the tech and innovation of the area.

Montclair Plaza, in Southern California, turned the mall inside out -- programs were placed at the perimeter of the site to draw people in from the area, and market to people driving on the adjacent freeway.

The profiles found below in Jason Beske's study "Repurposing Retail Centers: Profiles in Adaptation, Repositioning and Redevelopment" follows five shopping centers around the United States, from financing to the outcome.

Read the full study by Jason Beske of the NAIOP here.