GEO 802

FIRST ASSIGNMENT

DUE 13 February at class start

The original definition of a mall would seem to have very close links to recreational activity.

http://www.easternct.edu/depts/amerst/MallsDef.htm

Even 15 years ago, one could have described malls as non-designated recreational spaces. The early strip malls weren't conducive to people meeting, mingling, or watching the world go by, and they weren't designed for those purposes.

"But once the modern mall design resulted in large groups of people milling around in one area, it must have been obvious that they were doing more than Sunday shopping."

The current mall design deliberately includes the recreational experience, hoping it will spill over into the shopping experience. The Eaton Centre in Toronto, for example, uses trees, benches and works of art to create a pleasant ambience. People bring their children to the mall to watch the performance of the geyser-like fountain.

Some malls have almost too much entertainment value -- like the West Edmonton Mall, with its skating rink, pool and roller coaster. Thousands of people are attracted to the amusements and go there with no thought of shopping. Many never buy a thing.

To some observers, the phenomenon of shopping-as-recreation is puzzling. If you think of shopping as a quick trip to the hardware store to get a package of lightbulbs, then it isn't recreation. However, shopping probably doesn't equate just with buying: it means the total experience wrapped around the act of buying.

In the cities and suburbs, shopping malls serve another purpose never intended by their owners: as a meeting place for teens and seniors. Every group in society needs a place to meet, whether it's a spot designated for the purpose or not. In small towns, the post office, general store and barber shop used to be popular places to meet people and exchange local news as well as transact business.

Today, the important local meeting place for adults is likely to be the doughnut shop. It's a uniquely Canadian institution, our equivalent of the English neighborhood pub or the American corner bar.

These ideas should change the ‘gaze’ that you turn on any mall. The A class mall, Yorkdale, has been renovated quite recently and should reflect the kinds of considerations above.

  1. Develop a list of recreational opportunities in Yorkdale and place them in categories linked to their purpose. Justify your categories and answer the following questions
  2. Are they linked to the general mall design or to private sites
  3. Are they ‘permanent’ fixtures or temporary offerings.
  4. Comment on the balance of permanent to temporary and shopping to entertainment
  5. Are recreational opportunities clustered or scattered (is there a pattern)?
  6. Are there influences on their location? Explain your answer

The essay should be at a maximum of five to seven pages including title page, bibliography, charts, pictures, etc.

You must submit an individual piece of work