Dead Malls of Canada

[SpongeG]

eww grand prarie - actually lots of people from my high school went to the college there, it was like the big city lol

[CanadianCentaur]

Originally Posted by BretttheRiderFan

I don't know why but I've always loved Jasper Avenue, though I do admit that Whyte is pretty damn cool.

I'm currently in the process of deciding whether to go to MacEwan and stay near Jasper, or go to the U of A and stay near Whyte....

My parents want me to stay in Grande Prairie for a year and go to college here but I would definitely prefer to get away asap, even though I feel like an angsty teenager.

Why don't you come down to Edmonton then?

I know quite a few people, including some of my relatives, who have moved to Edmonton because they wanted to get away from GP.

[BretttheRiderFan]

My parents just don't feel comfortable letting me live on my own I'd say, and they'd prefer that I save up for a year before going to Edmonton.

[SpongeG]

smart parents - you really should save up, make it so much easier

[whiteford]

none of them malls is anywhere near as cool as WEM. they lack the fun stuff, all of them. wem has much more and bigger rides and swimming pools and so on than the duabi mall or the Asian malls. so, it is still the king as far as being a family, amusement, destination goes.

[itom 987]

That's a very good point whiteford!

[ssiguy]

Originally Posted by Symz

I agree with you Manny, Windsor retail has to compete with Detroit, and the prices in the states are so low anyone who's not used to it would probably find it shocking.

Myself I stick to shopping here in Windsor. I know the retailers need the business and I support them, even if it costs me a little more.

Are you refering to Devonshire?
I think a lot of downtown malls could learn something from London's experience with The Galleria. It was a huge mall and when Eaton's went and the big box suburban stores invaded the burbs Galleria was a ghost town.
I'm glad the city realized that was too big to just let rot as it would have been a horrid eyesore and even further depressed the downtown. London moved it's central library into Galleria and UWO and Fanshawe College opened campuses while space was rented out as office and they opened the large cinema complex inside. They managed to successfully turn it from a dead mall to a important educational, entertainment, and office centre. London had the Galleria as a lemon but managed to turn it into a fairly vibrant and attractive complex.
One thing that really gets me is they continue to build schools {elem/high/post-sec} yet they have many relatively modern malls that could be easily converted. Same thing goes for libraries, community centres, daycare, seniors centres, and government offices. Many of these malls could be bought for a relative song and turned into a community asset which is a better use of limited funds and land.

[MolsonExport]

Galleria London (aka Citi Place) is halfway better but still has a long recovery path ahead. The new side of the lower mall (south) is almost completely reno'd, looks great and appears to be 100% occupied. The upper South side is mostly educational, with the theatre still clinging to life. The other side has not been much renovated. Lower level about 2/3 full (half of which chains, the other local crafts), upper level about 1/2 vacant, with mainly health offices and some education.

Anybody remember the world's most convoluted/confusing mall? Les Terrasses, Montreal? Replaced by Montreal's Eaton Centre (which for years was also halfway dead).

[eternallyme]

About downtown malls - why were they so successful in some cities (such as Toronto and Ottawa) but a total failure in others (such as Winnipeg and London)?

[ue]

^ That's a good question. Curious to find an answer as well. Could size of the metro be a factor (even though Ottawa and Winnipeg aren't that far apart)?

Originally Posted by BretttheRiderFan

I wonder how much of a coincidence it is that since the West Edmonton Mall opened, development in the city centre has been relatively stagnant.

Few months old post, but I'd like to add that in the past decade and a bit there hasn't been stagnation in the Downtown of Edmonton. Because of reasons cited after you by Doug, Downtown became extremely dead by the '80s and '90s. But since the late '90s, there has been lots of rejuvenation attempts, and Downtown Edmonton is a lot healthier with a lot of new developments (and many more on the way). It is still behind Ottawa and (barely) Calgary, but the fact is that Downtown Edmonton has had to come a lot farther because it was in a much bigger hole than other cities. Calgary's economy, for example, was much healthier in the '90s.

[vid]

Depends on whether or not people actually go to the downtown. Downtown Toronto had such a critical mass of people in the first place that the mall just added another attraction, while downtown Ottawa houses Parliament and that's not going anywhere. Downtown Winnipeg, London, and Thunder Bay, on the other hand, were small, run down and struggling to compete with large and nearby big box stores. Thunder Bay's largest mall is only 1 mile from one downtown and 1.5 miles from another—those of us who live between the two actually have both within walking distance; Polo Park is about 3 miles from Downtown Winnipeg, literally just down the street. Our three cities are also pretty spread out, while Ottawa and Toronto are more dense.

[MonkeyRonin]

Most of the malls in Toronto (downtown or otherwise) are also connected to subway stations.

[Doug]

Originally Posted by MolsonExport

Galleria London (aka Citi Place) is halfway better but still has a long recovery path ahead. The new side of the lower mall (south) is almost completely reno'd, looks great and appears to be 100% occupied. The upper South side is mostly educational, with the theatre still clinging to life. The other side has not been much renovated. Lower level about 2/3 full (half of which chains, the other local crafts), upper level about 1/2 vacant, with mainly health offices and some education.

Anybody remember the world's most convoluted/confusing mall? Les Terrasses, Montreal? Replaced by Montreal's Eaton Centre (which for years was also halfway dead).

I remember the grand opening of the Galleria in 1989 when I lived in London. It was crazy busy for the first few years.

[Doug]

Originally Posted by BretttheRiderFan

I don't know why but I've always loved Jasper Avenue, though I do admit that Whyte is pretty damn cool.

I'm currently in the process of deciding whether to go to MacEwan and stay near Jasper, or go to the U of A and stay near Whyte....

My parents want me to stay in Grande Prairie for a year and go to college here but I would definitely prefer to get away asap, even though I feel like an angsty teenager.

I can barely remember Jasper from when I was 5 or 6 years old and it is nowhere near its former glory. It was almost solid street front retail east from 109th to 97th.

[casper]

Originally Posted by eternallyme

About downtown malls - why were they so successful in some cities (such as Toronto and Ottawa) but a total failure in others (such as Winnipeg and London)?

Saskatoon is an interesting example. Midtown Plaza (the downtown mall) is the largest in the city and plays a role in attracting people downtown. In this case some of the advantages that Midtown Plaza has is it is the premier shopping centre in the city. The only Bay and Sears department stores in the city and the shops in the mall are mostly national/international brands where they only operate one outlet in the city or province. It is basically a destination, that helps compensate for the hassle of parking downtown.

[someone123]

The downtown malls are often a double-edged sword. In the worst case even if they are successful they don't really contribute much to the surrounding area and, when they have lots of parking, they are no better than a suburban mall. They may actually be worse if they take up lots of prime land.

In Halifax I can think of six downtown malls (Scotia Square, Barrington Place, Maritime Mall, City Centre Atlantic, Park Lane, Spring Garden Place). Scotia Square is one of the first modern downtown malls in Canada and is a giant bunker that is poorly connected to the streets nearby and marginal as a retail destination. The more successful malls are smaller, are located in the middle of busy retail areas, and have normal storefront-style entrances. They've also got residential buildings on top instead of office towers, and are in areas with a higher population density.

[armorand93]

Originally Posted by itom 987

That's a very good point whiteford!

Theres two Edmonton mods? :O

Guess Xelebes isnt the only one!

[SpongeG]

Originally Posted by Doug

I remember the grand opening of the Galleria in 1989 when I lived in London. It was crazy busy for the first few years.

i was there in 1993/94 and it was a really busy mall - when did it start to die? it had eatons in it if i recall correctly - i went to three malls that day so they are all a bit of a blur

[PoscStudent]

Our dead mall, The Village, is starting to become undead after several years.

[davidivivid]

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