Spring 2021 Issue - 71

RDC

cantly improve the design strategies for
these sites. Urban edges combined with
suburban density and a dose of neo-rural
landscape might create a new hybrid of
American urban form to tackle the issues
of diversity, equity, inclusion (DEI), as
well as climate change and the stagnating
growth of the middle class.
Imagine vocational and higher-education
institutions, a significant amount of open
space, climate change amelioration, and
workforce and affordable housing-all
designed for these new communities rather
than for the privileged suburbs of the past.
Imagine also bridge housing for formerly
unhoused individuals plus market-rate stock
and space for daycare, senior care, food
production, energy generation, performing
and visual arts, offices, warehouses, and
retail-all on a suburban mall site. Public
officials, financial institutions, and private
developers can benefit from a deep understanding of place and the demographics
surrounding these properties-helping bring
about a new framework for growth rather
than continuing to employ tired formulas
that re-create mall obsolescence.
At the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic,
Long Beach, California-based design firm
RDC created a tactical working group (code
name: Rebirth) to design and test mall
redevelopment strategies " disenthralled "
with the obvious and standard solutions
that may only perpetuate existing impediments to DEI. Among the goals of this
effort was a balanced approach that rested
on several conceptual pillars.
RDC believes inner-ring suburban mall
redevelopment should consider eight
design tenets:
l Economic balance and phasing. Balancing economic realities of recurring retail
revenue and phased redevelopment
involves pro forma gut checks at every
major design decision. Even a half-empty
mall generates shareholder or landlord
cash flow. Decisions regarding delayed
demolition or phased relocation of existing retailers must be made with great care.
Test and repeat.

Imagine vocational and higher-education institutions, a meaningful
amount of open space, climate change amelioration, workforce and
affordable housing-all designed for these new communities rather
than for the privileged suburbs of the past.
l Connections versus intersections. Valuing connections over intersections, especially emphasizing pedestrians over cars,
reduces the automobile footprint by connecting nodes of activity rather than creating redundant intersections that impede
pedestrian pathways. This approach prioritizes human interaction in order to create
equitable common areas that appeal to a
diverse assortment of users.
l Community needs. Designing for a local
population's daily needs instead of a
generic mall shopper requires a deep understanding of the people who are living near
the mall. And creating amenities to attract
diverse residents from surrounding communities can create critical mass. Social media,
user interviews, and multigenerational and
multiracial focus groups can all help create
representative development.
l Intensity versus density. Emphasis
of intensity over density does not imply
a diffuse development. RDC's research
validated the use of woonerfs- " living
streets " that, instead of just channeling
vehicles, create multiuse social spaces
with structured grass surfaces and permeable pavement. This approach also emphasizes radial connections (extending from
the center), community reuse of interior
assets, and sensitively scaled housing at
the edges. The raw numbers of residential
units, retail outlets, and community-facing
services fit better in this scheme than in
the city-block diagram. This allows for
intense development at key nodes, balanced with sizable areas of open space,
allowing room for the community to thrive
and grow.
l Neighborly commercial adjacencies.
Creating urban edges that hug neighboring
properties instead of towering above them

or creating buffers against them acknowledges the nature of American cities. The
new development can inspire incremental change on surrounding properties. It
should never create jarring or foreign adjacencies. Think of it as a handshake with
neighboring uses.
l Community microeconomics. Focusing
on the microeconomics of design decisions
rather than on traditional delivery methods
involves creative public and private financing. That, combined with smart design and
a dedication to net-zero energy strategies,
can create long-term value. Opportunity
zones, subsidized housing, and federal,
state, and local grants, as well as institutional partners, all add layers of complication, but they also create more diversified
and stabilized developments. If malls previously created a local retail economy, the
rebirth of these mall sites should create
actual sustainable microeconomies geared
toward nearby communities.
l Habitat reconstruction. Preserving
pockets of habitat by restoring untamed
landscapes creates an entirely new,
restored environment and encourages the
casual use of the protected, shared fields,
marshes, or woods rather than discrete
backyards or segregated common areas.
Over the past 50 years, many original habitats have disappeared and some species
have become extinct. Introduction of plants
and animals to the backyards of homes
will be a hyperlocal and continually evolving improvement. In most cases, this space
would be owned by the developer but
cared for by the community.
l Movement versus traffic. Prioritizing
pedestrian and bike movement over automobile traffic puts the commuter vehicle at
the margins, around corners, or in pockets
SPRING 2021

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Spring 2021 Issue

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Spring 2021 Issue