Design Techniques for

Redeveloping Shopping
Centres

1. Externalize
Break the large scale of the mall and its
infrastructure and reorient it toward the outside
and its surrounding community. Create smaller
connecting streets in a grid pattern for pedestrian
and automobile access.
Change from a single building into a district
type of development through changes in uses,
architectural character, and street design.

Create a front and rear of stores.

2. Become Green
Encourage landscaping within the development to
make the new space become a gathering place as
well.
Reorient the shopping center to connect to
streets that connect it to other parts of the
community by making streets walk able and
encouraging social interaction.
Move parking to the rear of the stores in order to
create a downtown, streetscape environment.

3. Encourage Transit
By encouraging transit usage and downplaying the
use of the automobile, the development will be able
to use higher densities as well as provide a healthy
walking environment for patrons.
Instead of encouraging new asphalt parking lots,
build structured parking that is architecturally
hidden from view. This will also enable the new
development to build for a higher intensity of land
uses.
Use key intersections or transit stops to create nodes
of development that provide for intense activity in
between less intense areas.

4. Mix and Match

Encourage different types and sizes of
development by breaking the large vacant
site into various parcel sizes. This would allow
for national anchor stores as well as smaller
neighborhood establishments.
Provide for a mix of uses such as housing,
entertainment, civic uses, commercial, office
and light industrial to create 24-hour activity.
Design for the pedestrian by not encouraging
superstructures.

 (a)

(b)

(c)

(d)

Design Techniques
a) Mix different land uses. By providing a variety of land uses
residential, retail, office, and entertainment - the shopping
center will become a place where people can live, work, and play
b) Create a human-scaled environment.
) Create a shopping center that encourages pedestrians to move
quickly from store to store while providing window-shopping and
pedestrian amenities.
c) Break down the apparent size of larger buildings. This will trick
the shopper that there is more than one store to shop in.
d) Provide parking on-street or in the rear of stores. By mixing the
parking options, different users can be accommodated.

 (e)

(f)

(g)

Design Techniques
e) Share parking among compatible uses, for example,
between movie theatres and office buildings. This can
help to eliminate unnecessary spaces or periods of
empty parking lots.
f) Provide for a mix of building sizes to allow for a
diversity of business types. This will allow for smaller
type venues to fill smaller store-fronts.
g) Use landscaping in parking lots to reduce storm water
runoff, provide shade, and improve aesthetics. This will
add to the aesthetic quality of the shopping center as
well.

5 Mall Redevelopment strategies

1) Mixed Use Town Center or Urban district
This model features a mix of uses, including retail space,
residential units, public spaces, and often office space and
civic or cultural uses.
2) Single use development
Demolishing the mall
3) Adaptive Reuse
4) Mall Plus
5) Reinvested Mall

 (h)

(i)

(j)

Design Techniques
h) Integrate with surrounding development.
Ensure the architectural integrity of the neighborhood as
well as to keep visual interest.
i) Create a connected network of streets. Connect streets
within the development, as well as to the neighborhood for
easier access and flow of people and vehicles.
j) Use open space as a focal point and gathering space. By
adding civic uses to the shopping center, it will begin to have
a sense of place.

Classification of Malls
In retail industry, malls are classified by sales
per square foot.
- Class A: $300
Healt
Viabl
hy
e
- Class B: $200-$299 $250
$200
or
- Class C: $100-$199 more
$249
- Class D: less than $100
Vuln
erab
le
$150
$200

Greyf
eld
$150
or
less

Design characteristics for Shopping

Centres
Main
Street

Neighborho
od Strip
Mall

Enclosed
Mall

Region
al Mall

Power Lifestyle
Center Center

Highway
Access

No

Yes

No

Yes

Yes

Yes

Pedestria
n
Friendly

Yes

No

Yes(indoors)

No

No

Yes

Transit
Access

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

No

No

Parking

Limited

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Window
Shopping

Yes

No

Yes(Indoors)

Yes

No

Yes

Pedestria
n
Amenitie
s

Yes

No

Yes(indoors)

Yes

No

Yes

General characteristics of shopping

Centers
Type of
Center

Gross
Leasable
Area(sq.
ft.)

Site
Area(acres
)

Market
Radius(mil
es)

Population
Support
Required

Convenience <30,000

<1

>1-1.5

>3,000

Neighborho
od

30,000100,000

3-10

1.5

3,000-40,000

Community

101,000300,000

10-30

3-5

40,000150,000

Regional

301,000750,000

10-60

8-10

150,000+

Super
Regional

>750,000

15-100

12

300,000+