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Do You Hate Strip Malls?

Andrew Korenchkin

Andrew Korenchkin

Member
It seems that, from what I've uncovered, that no other type of development is as hated as the strip mall. I can't stand them, even if I don't think there is much we can do at this point. But there is nothing about them that catch the eye, they take up way too much land for nothing, and they always feel utterly soulless. Anybody else dislike them more than any other type of development?
 
U

UnemployedVillain

Member
I really don't think anything of them to be honest. I mean, I guess they're convenient in that they have parking lots and you can park near where you want to go instead of having to navigate around?
 
B

brochiller

Member
Yep. Moved to the Toronto area recently and pretty much everything is in a strip mall that are all tan and look the same. Makes the whole area feel sterile.
 
J

jph139

Member
Oh shit I never actually put together what a strip mall was until this thread. It's those long things with all of the shops next to each other. Damn. Connections being made here.

I'm not a fan - they prioritize car convenience over pedestrian convenience and I prefer walking places, so they're pretty much strictly inferior to regular malls for me.
 
A

ArcLyte

Member
Not really. They house small businesses that sometimes have exactly what you're looking for or delis and restaurants that make good food.
 
Y

yanipheonu

Member
There is something chintzy about them, I'd admit. Like the building equivalent of a bad graphic T-Shirt.

Struck me just how many of them there are in the states.

But hey, if they're selling what I need, doesn't matter much to me.
 
cr0w

cr0w

Old Member
Don't really care about them either way.

Open air malls, though, are awesome. First time I went to one as a kid in Alameda, CA my mind was blown. Promptly ran into a tree in the walkway while my attention was grabbed by an MK2 arcade machine, so I wasn't as happy after that.
 
T

The Albatross

Member
I don't thnk but about them, but in general I don't like them, but I think I like them more than regular malls because you can go with only going to the store you want to go to.
 
D

DizzyCaffeine

Member
I'm surrounded by them in OC, California.

Don't really see why one would hate them, though. They're just stores. Where else are they gonna go?
 
N

Nicolada

Member
I've never really thought about it. I mean, I guess they could put some effort into making them look more pretty and less tan?
 
N

norm9

Member
If I feel like a donut, chinese food, liquor, smokes, a small plant, or need a haircut, they're there. It's fantastic.
 
H

half a moon

Banned
Whats a better way to arrange businesses? Have them all in a mall where you can't just pull up to the front and walk in the business of your choice? Seems like a logical way to arrange businesses.
 
H

HylianTom

Banned
Yeah. Not a big fan.

Then again, I dislike suburban commercial architecture/landscape in general. It's like those looping backgrounds you see in old Hanna-Barbera cartoons. McDonald's.. Home Depot.. Chase Bank.. Wal-Mart.. Target.. Chik-fil-A.. McDonald's.. Home Depot..

YOGI+RANGER+INFINITY+RUN.gif
 
S

superdeluxe

Member
Andrew Korenchkin said:
It seems that, from what I've uncovered, that no other type of development is as hated as the strip mall. I can't stand them, even if I don't think there is much we can do at this point. But there is nothing about them that catch the eye, they take up way too much land for nothing, and they always feel utterly soulless. Anybody else dislike them more than any other type of development?
Click to expand...

Nope.
 
Z

Zoc

Member
I used to hate them because they're so ugly, but eventually I noticed that they tend to have really interesting small or ethnic shops. I'm sure those shops couldn't afford anything nicer, so now I don't mind the compromise of putting up with ugly strip malls.

That said, it would be fantastic if the terrible North American car culture could be wiped out and strip malls replaced with actual, walkable commercial streets.
 
N

norm9

Member
DizzyCaffeine said:
Lol, you just described the strip mall I live near to a tee. Except this one has a Korean BBQ and a Indian food restaurant.
Click to expand...

ha, yeah, that's about the standard strip mall. They will mix it up occasionally with a tchotchke shop or a store that only sells water.
 
K

kirblar

Member
Strip Malls are fine, the problem is that they're a relic in many areas designed for a type of market that no longer exists (just like regular malls) and are either rotting or end up retrofitted to something that fits w/ modern shopping.
 
D

DizzyCaffeine

Member
Andrew Korenchkin said:
No.

I thought the person I replied to was talking about traditional indoor malls. Strip Malls obviously contain indoor stores, but just the stores are indoors, also self contained.
Click to expand...

Got it. What's the alternative to strip malls, though? It seems like indoor malls are on the way out, and I imagine the rent is much cheaper in a strip mall.
 
Andrew Korenchkin

Andrew Korenchkin

Member
DizzyCaffeine said:
Got it. What's the alternative to strip malls, though? It seems like indoor malls are on the way out, and I imagine the rent is much cheaper in a strip mall.
Click to expand...

That's one of the issues. Strip malls are cheaper and easier to build than fancy walkable mixed use areas, and as of right now most of these mixed use projects have the majority of people driving to them anyway. Strip Malls do offer convience, and even I walk to them more than I do the Kirtland Commons, that's for sure.
 
P

Piggus

Member
I don't mind them if they're not littered all over town, but some cities like Glendale, AZ are fucking disgusting due to how many strip malls there are. It's basically the same bunch of chain stores/restaurants copy-pasted over and over without a hint of private business.
 
C

capitalCORN

Member
I much more detest mass condo developments. Watching the colour bleed out of your city as they build an endless procession of lifeless towers is killing me right now.
 
H

HollowCentral

Member
I kinda like them.

More space than regular malls, and I've gotten better deals on things at strip malls than regular ones most of the time.

To be fair, there's only like 2 within an hour or 2 of where I live, and like 20 regular malls, so it's a nice change of pace sometimes. Though I can understand why people who live in places where they're everywhere might not like them.
 
M

madstarr12

Member
Andrew Korenchkin said:
Strip malls are outdoors.
Click to expand...
I know, I just don't fully understand why some people would be hating strip malls compared to traditional indoor malls. A strip mall also has stores, but to get into another store, you need to go outside first (outdoors), which I guess could be a complaint towards strip malls.
 
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