You’ve probably seen them: photos of malls that seemed to be thriving just a few years ago but which now stand lifeless — along with their many acres of parking — except for the odd tree growing up where a sunglasses kiosk used to be. These are the fossils of the “retail apocalypse,” the long trend (now accelerated by COVID-19) that has seen the shuttering of thousands of brick-and-mortar retail stores over the last 20 years.
Cities, planners, architects, developers, and residents alike have wondered what can be done, if anything, with America’s growing stock of abandoned malls. One idea gaining traction — including offers of federal assistance — is to retrofit dying mall sites into something new: apartments. Each week on Upzoned, host Abby Kinney, an urban planner in Kansas City, takes a news story that touches the Strong Towns conversations and she “upzones” it, examining it in light of the Strong Towns approach to growing stronger and more financially resilient cities. This week, Abby and her regular cohost, Strong Towns president Chuck Marohn, look at a recent article by Patrick Sisson in Bloomberg CityLab, entitled "The Dying Mall’s New Lease on Life: Apartments.”
Together, Abby and Chuck discuss plans by the Trump administration to help convert old malls into affordable housing. Is this a good use of federal stimulus funds? They talk about the problems with top-down approaches to affordable housing, the “psychology of previous investment” (a phrase coined by our friend James Howard Kunstler), and why the U.S. keeps pumping money into “Big.” They also look at an example of someone who is trying to redevelop an old mall site from the bottom-up, but then ask: Can that approach scale?
Then in the Downzone, Chuck talks about becoming a surprise boat owner. And Abby recommends Union: The Struggle to Forge the Story of United States Nationhood, the new book by Colin Woodard.
Additional Show Notes:
"The Dying Mall’s New Lease on Life: Apartments,” by Patrick Sisson
Abby Kinney (Twitter)
Chuck Marohn (Twitter)
Gould Evans Studio for City Design
Theme Music by Kemet the Phantom (Soundcloud)
Other Strong Towns articles about shopping malls
"Just when you thought the end of malls couldn't get any worse…," by Rachel Quednau
”The Shopping Mall Death Spiral," Charles Marohn
”The End of Big Malls Means Big Problems," by Rachel Quednau
Department of Justice Opens Criminal Investigation Into “Housing Cartel”
Inside the Notorious Gridlock of Colorado's I-70
“Redesigning” Cincinnati With the Connected Communities Plan
Our Financial System Favors Large-Scale Development…but at What Cost?
Traffic Deaths Now Exceed the Number of Homicides in LA. This Initiative Aims To Change That.
$350 Million Mixed-Use Development Presents a "Huge Opportunity" for South Bend, IN
Could this New Approach to Public Housing Actually Work?
Parking Minimums Might Be on the Way Out in Dallas
Coming Back Down to Earth After a “Next-Level” Downtown Revitalization
Today’s Generation of Families Are “Disillusioned” by Suburbia
Millennials Are Fleeing Cities in Favor of the Exurbs
Ryan Johnson: Builder of the First Car-Free Neighborhood Made From Scratch in the U.S.
Transportation Meltdown: Children on the School Bus Till 10 p.m.
Is Affordable Housing Possible Under Current Zoning Laws?
Arizona Pushes for Suburban and Rural Development, Despite Dwindling Water Supply
Atlanta’s New Idea To Address Their Housing Crisis
The Invisible Reason for High Housing Prices: Restrictive Land-Use Regulations
Why Can’t We Have the “Perfect” Neighborhood?
Behind the Scenes at the Strong Towns National Gathering
Live From the National Gathering
Create your
podcast in
minutes
It is Free
The emPOWERed Half Hour
The Commercial Edge: Unleash the Power of People
Social Dallas Podcast
Change Church Podcast
Six Degrees with Kevin Bacon
Digital Islamic Reminder
Nonprofits Are Messy: Lessons in Leadership | Fundraising | Board Development | Communications