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USA's Destiny? Regulating Space and Creating Community in American Shopping Malls

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  • Lynn A. Staeheli

    (Institute of Behavioural Science, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80309-0487, USA, lynner@colorado.edu)

  • Don Mitchell

    (Department of Geography, Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY, USA, Dmmitc01@maxwell.syr.edu)

Abstract

In North American cities, shopping malls are heralded as the new town square. Historically, the town square was a place where diverse people came together and where politics, economics and sociability were intermingled. However, shopping centres, which are separated from the old downtown by distance or design, seem for many people to be the new heart of public and social life. It is argued in this article that the regulation of the spaces of the mall is intended to create 'community' rather than a 'public'. In the process of creating community, the political potential of public space and the quality of publicity created are contorted so as to muffle political opposition and critique in the name of civility. This argument is illustrated through an examination of the Carousel Center Mall in Syracuse, New York.

Suggested Citation

  • Lynn A. Staeheli & Don Mitchell, 2006. "USA's Destiny? Regulating Space and Creating Community in American Shopping Malls," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 43(5-6), pages 977-992, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:urbstu:v:43:y:2006:i:5-6:p:977-992
    DOI: 10.1080/00420980600676493
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Don Mitchell & Lynn A. Staeheli, 2005. "Permitting Protest: Parsing the Fine Geography of Dissent in America," International Journal of Urban and Regional Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 29(4), pages 796-813, December.
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