Shopping Centres in South Africa: Urbanism Gets the Cold Shoulder. The reimagining of introverted shopping centres into responsive urban environments through design: the case of Menlyn Park Shopping Centre

Abstract

Shopping malls have nestled themselves into the urban fabric of cities, more specifically the suburban fabric, creating large non-interactive, introverted artifacts geared towards consumption and the maximisation of profits. These artifacts act as exclusive clubs where the membership requirements are money and a private vehicle. Menlyn Park Shopping Centre, a regional shopping mall neatly placed between three major regional roads and a national highway in the east of Pretoria, is no different. The mall, or rather the artifact, violates all principles of Responsive Environments and transforming the citizens of the city into customers. The purpose of this research is to explore ways to transform the introverted Menlyn Park Shopping Centre into a more responsive urban environment, an environment that does not turn its back on citizens, but rather welcomes interaction and variety. This overall objective is achieved by creating a research framework in order to create understanding of the nature of shopping malls in general, how they came to be, their functioning and the different types we encounter. An expert in the field of shopping mall design was also consulted, in order to provide some perspective on the future of malls and element to consider. This is followed by an analysis of the Menlyn Park Shopping Centre itself, unpacking the different elements and how they relate to principles of responsive urban environments. A conclusion is reached through an urban design framework, which proposes an alternative design for the shopping mall satisfying the principles of responsive environments.