Last weekend I was taken to the Frisco Mall, a building of staggering size that you can see from miles away. Driving in under the shadow of the vast logo-decorated wall, I felt the stomach-turning sense of insignificance that often attacks me as a consumer.
Everything was bright, shiny, and new, not the woebegone mallscape that has been lamented in recent press coverage. It made me think of other architectural forms that are meant to belittle the occupants: cathedrals, for example.
Does a gigantic mall serve a similar purpose? To iron out our inconsistencies and make us one body? Do we like that feeling?
Here is another article about malls, and also about pedestrian issues, that I found interesting. Neither of these articles is particularly relevant to my cathedral comparison, but I offer them to anyone who feels intrigued by the topic.
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