Imagine apartments built into what used to be department stores, (Oh, you’re JC Penny 203? I’m at Sears 106). Get those old arcades up and running. Set up meal stations at the food court. Once people actually live there, stores will start to move back in.

If I’m unable to finish my life in my own home, that doesn’t sound like a terrible option.

  • SupraMario@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    2
    arrow-down
    3
    ·
    3 months ago

    Nope but the nearest mall to me is 2 hours drive. No one is building rails out into the smaller counties. The USA is massive. I’ve lived in Europe, its a lot smaller, and people still have cars. Not saying this couldn’t work for cities but people forget how spread out we are here in the usa.

    • uis@lemm.ee
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      10
      ·
      edit-2
      3 months ago

      Nope but the nearest mall to me is 2 hours drive.

      Have you considered that this is because most of space in USA is allocated only for cars? Or that if this space wasn’t allocated to cars, then you wouldn’t need to traverse such disyance in first place?

      but people forget how spread out we are here in the usa.

      The solution: trains

      • SupraMario@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        2
        arrow-down
        1
        ·
        3 months ago

        Look I’m not arguing that we shouldn’t be putting in trains as much as possible but it’s not a solution to cars. Hell in Europe people still drive a good bit.

        • justgohomealready@sh.itjust.works
          link
          fedilink
          arrow-up
          1
          arrow-down
          1
          ·
          3 months ago

          The solution is not living in the middle of anywhere, two hours away from civilization. If you lived next to the mall, you could go there by foot.

          • SupraMario@lemmy.world
            link
            fedilink
            arrow-up
            1
            ·
            3 months ago

            You know why houses in populated areas cost so much?

            That’s why, everyone wanting to be right next to everything.

            I live where I do because I don’t like crowds, and noise.

    • AA5B@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      1
      ·
      edit-2
      3 months ago

      Maybe I’m biased living in a “European” part of the US, but it can translate very well to our country. the problem is not that the place is large, but so many places are suburban or trying to keep that rural feel, yet you want massive warehouse stores for everyday shopping. Everything wants to be its own destination, so there is no real concentration of snything

      But every town can have a center where common areas are common. Every town can have a center with whatever shops and restaurants. Every town of every size can have some things in a higher density area that’s walkable. In our mythology, we call it “Main Street, USA” and look back at it as a long gone ideal, but it’s still a useful concept, still around in some places, and can be re-created. In my towns case it did well focussing on restaurants, because you can’t ft a Costco or modern grocery there. But there’s also a library, small movie theater, town Common. All the buses run there, and you can find taxis, bicycles or scooters, a nice river walk,etc. it also has a concentration of apartments and condos, so there are always people around