When Victor Gruen, the man credited with designing the first shopping center in the early 1950s, drew up plans for the creation of new shopping centers, he generally specified the lands that were to be included and used. for community and civic purposes. This might surprise a lot of people; as the majority of shopping malls today rarely include such luxury. Land adjacent to shopping centers is typically prime real estate, and to increase revenue, shopping centers often sell areas furthest from their parking lots; usually for building restaurant chains. This isn't exactly what Gruen had in mind. In this essay I will focus on the Partridge Creek Mall. While I agree that Partridge Creek still isn't what Gruen envisioned, I think it's trying to break away from the traditional mall and bring more of a sense of community to the shopping experience. Partridge Creek Shopping Center is laid out according to the standard shopping center model: a long loop of small boutique-style retail stores with larger multi-story department stores, or "anchor stores", at either end of the loop. The main distinction is that it is an "open-air shopping mall", there are no exterior walls or ceilings beyond the stores themselves; Outside of stores, shoppers are exposed to the elements, both good and bad. This is a bold design choice given Michigan's extremely cold winters and rainy springs. To compensate for bad weather, the paved paths are heated to prevent any accumulation of snow or ice; However, the layout of the shopping center has a drawback: it creates a wind tunnel effect with the slightest gust, which seems to intensify even the slightest inclement weather. Yet, s...... middle of paper ......es are installed throughout the mall itself; which, along with free WiFi Internet access, gives visitors the opportunity to relax while enjoying the outdoors and scenery. In this way, the Partridge Creek Mall could serve as a secondary purpose to a third place, which Dr. Oldenburg describes as "neutral ground" – where friends can meet, where "you are neither the guest nor the host of the event.” another, where you can come and go as you please. instill a sense of community and neighborhood in its customers. The mall's design is reminiscent of a downtown mall and amenities encourage conversation and shared experiences for customers of all ages..