Paul Lukez, an architect and former professor of architectural design at MIT, has written a new book in which he imagines what could be at the Dedham Mall, should it ever fail.
Across the country there are more than 500 malls that are dying or dead. As empty shells, they are liabilities to their communities and pose environmental and socioeconomic concerns. This proposal re-imagines an abandoned mall in Dedham, Massachusetts as a locus of new activities - commercial, recreational, residential - creating a multi-use space that enhances the community by resurrecting its existing architectural forms. As an e-mall, this physical location endows an online retailer with a physical presence. Shoppers are able to test and sample goods prior to making a purchase. The remaining space acts as a warehouse for local pick ups and a distribution center for online purchases. The transformed mall also integrates on-site housing, providing retailers with a ready base of consumers and employees.
Lukez does this in a new book, Suburban Transformations, that
outlines innovative proposals for restoring sustainability and energy efficiency, as well as unique, inviting identity, to America's suburbs. He presents meticulously detailed plans for Boston suburbs Burlington, Dedham, and Revere (as well as locations in China and the Netherlands) and introduces a detailed mapping system (called the Adaptive Design Process) that gives suburban planners, developers, and residents a method for envisioning a range of dynamic futures for their communities.
At the companion website to the book you can see visually what he envisions at the Mall by clicking on eMall case study, but there isn't any explanation of the time lapsed transformation taking place. The book is meant to be a "practical tool for suburban community planning" but it can't be found in our library, or any other library in the Minuteman System. It is available on Amazon.com. I'd be interested in picking it up, and it might be worth the time for the Planning Board and the Economic Development Director to read as well.
(Hat Tip: Design Boston) |
