Providence, Rhode Island is one of many cities to get mall-like retail center built with walkability in mind and set around a Plaza.
More walkable malls are having a moment. "Communities across the country are embracing what's been called the Santana Row effect, a nationwide planning trend that seeks to deconstruct the great American enclosed mall and reduce the profile of the cars that come with it," Angela Ruggiero writes in The Providence Journal. Cities from San Jose to Providence are experimenting with this kind of development. "This urbanist movement was a strong reaction against the suburban model that America built some 50 years ago, a very car-dominated culture, Calott said. The city center has now become a mainstream real estate development," Ruggiero reports.
In cities fighting the image of being too car-bound, and trying to build retail, this style has proven popular. Jeff Dodd of Sunset Development, which worked on the development in Providence told Ruggiero, "Although some may say it's a glorified mall without a roof, the openness of the structure makes it feel as though there are no walls."
FULL STORY: Across the U.S., malls are moving outdoors as pedestrian-friendly 'city centers'
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UCLA Lewis Center for Regional Policy Studies
Mpact (formerly Rail~Volution)
Chaddick Institute at DePaul University
City of Piedmont, CA
Great Falls Development Authority, Inc.
HUDs Office of Policy Development and Research