shopping mall.
1. Pedestrianized walkway lined by shops, etc., in a shopping-centre.

2. Equivalent of the suburban (or ‘out-of-town’) shopping-centre, but situated within a town or city, associated with an established commercial centre. Examples include the Midtown Plaza, Rochester, NY (1960–3), and Fox Hills Mall, Los Angeles, CA (1970–5)—both by Gruen, and the West Edmonton Mall, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada (1981–6—designed by Maurice Sunderland), which includes lavish planting, an amusement park, 19 cinemas, a Deep Sea Adventure Area (with porpoise pool), and a Fantasyland Hotel (with ‘theme’ rooms). One of the biggest malls is the Mall of America, situated next to the airport between Minneapolis and St Paul, MN (opened 1992). Designed by Melvin Simon & Associates, it had four large department stores, 350 shops, entertainment centres, and a theme-park. Other malls include the Edgemar Center, Santa Monica, CA (1980–4—by Gehry), and the Haas Haus, Vienna (1987–90—by Hollein).

Bibliography

Maitland (1985);
Jane Turner (1996)

shop·ping cen·ter • n. an area or complex of stores with adjacent parking.