3.2.3 FRESNO, CALIFORNIA Fresno, California’s Fulton street mall was created as a part of city wide renewal efforts. The goals of Fresno’s renewal plan were not only economic, but it wanted the city to accommodate the transportation and social needs of its people as well. FIG 3.8: MAP OF FRESNO SHOWING THE FULTON STREET Fulton’s street was amongst the first pedestrian zones to rely heavily on pedestrian amenities, not directly related to shopping. Its paving and seating patterns encourage people to make use of the entire mall and not just narrow strips in front of the shops. FIG 3.9: FULTON MALL Because of Fresno’s warm climate, water has been used throughout in the form of fountains and pools. Trees, plats, seating and play areas have …show more content…
The renewal plans made their appearance in the 1950. These plans were focused around Nicollet Avenue, the city’s central commercial spine. FIG 3.13: MAP OF MINNEAPOLIS SHOWING THE NICOLLET AVENUE The main objectives of the renewal plans were- a. To improve pedestrian circulation and comfort. b. To create good pedestrian access to parking facilities c. To create new opportunities for promotion of retail trade d. To improve access and encourage mass transportation e. To encourage private investments. From the very beginning, the Nicollet project was highly publicized which helped in minimizing the public opposition. The mall and the roadway has evolved from a close collaboration between merchants and planning consultants. The design of the transit way has unified the area to create a unique urban space. Nicollet’s attraction is based on its sensitivity to scale in the treatment and selection of street elements, kiosks, benches and pavement trees planters, etc. FIG 3.14: NICOLLET AVENUE The lamp-posts are positioned to delineate the curved roadway. Banners and exhibitions add colour to the mall, window shopping has become a popular evening activity. The mall has proved beneficial to the trade. Air pollution, traffic congestion, noise pollution have
Merchant elaborates on the extent of managing exotic gardens inside buildings particularly the mall to recreate a heavenly atmosphere. She considers the work that goes into maintaining these gardens to keep them pristine, from the expensive water works and pesticides utilized to keep the unclean and destructive nuisances from diminishing the aim for perfection in a desirable atmosphere (p.5). These gardens produce the atmosphere to make people happy and content. The greenery provides the feeling of being outdoors while truly being completely inside. She indicates mall landscaping is inspired by surrounding environments that are
Develop and implement marketing and promotional programs for the downtown, including parking, housing, and business reinvestment programs
Walking through the mall I noticed that the target market was mainly high-end customers and people who where not worried about spending a little more for a great product. There were a lot of galleries and the atmosphere was very sophisticated with marbled floors and stained wood accents that gave the overall appearance of catering to professionals as well as young adults. There were a few stores for men, but the majority of the stores were focused more towards women, with also some children stores.
The redevelopment by Napoleon III and Haussmann consisted of three major parts: streets and buildings, parks, and services. The first major problem with the city before reconstruction was that the streets were very narrow and wound endlessly around the city. These narrow streets had been a problem in that for many years they had been the battlegrounds for strikes against the French government. Haussmann and Napoleon sought to change this by widening the streets and give more structure to their flow. Haussmann saw streets as having two main purposes. The first was for a place to simply live, shop, and a place to socialize for the growing middle class. The second was a way to connect main points of the city. The streets provided rapid access from the railway stations, government buildings, central markets, hospitals and entertainment districts. It also linked the central organs of administration and businesses such as fire department riot police, ambulances, and department store deliveries. This reconstruction of streets could not be done without great demolition of many private buildings.
When we think of air pollution we think of the refineries in our cities and the exhaust coming from our cars mostly. In reality there are many more pollutants that we don't think about every day. The six most common air pollutants are; “Carbon monoxide, Nitrogen oxides, Sulphur oxides, Particulate matter, Volatile organic compounds, and Ground-level ozone (nitrogen oxide and Volatile organic compounds reaction)”(David Suzuki Foundation). The fact is people are dying from air pollution and we are doing nothing to make it better, in fact air pollution is getting worse.
Whenever we go out shopping or relaxing at malls, we actually don’t see or recognize any effects of malls as we mostly go there for these two reasons. Malls are an integral part in the lives of America. They are shopping centers that have created a lot of buzz in many writers. This is because we have more malls in America than high schools. Malls have received praises from people like James J. Farrell, Jon Pahl and George Lewis who view malls as not only shopping centers but also as places that provide a reflection of the American culture and serve as centers of pleasure and entertainment. In contrast, William Kowinski and David Gutterson criticize malls for just being an artificial environment that creates disorientation among American shoppers. In my opinion, malls are just magnificent commercial buildings that create a sense of false dreams and imagination.
The suggestion regarding the shopping mall becoming its own liturgy is understandable. People are often fascinated by the mall’s environments. In addition, the mall may become a place of worship to an extent. Spending unhealthy amounts of time at mall may have attachment effect. Nevertheless, attending the mall,
Goss argues that developers and designers of the built environment, specifically shopping centers and malls, use the power of place and understanding the structural layout of the space to boost consumption of the retail profits. Shopping centers are separated from the downtown area of shopping, either by distance and/or design. These establishments emerge for many to be the new heart and location for public and social life. In his article The "Magic of the Mall": An Analysis of Form, Function, and Meaning in the Contemporary Retail Built Environment, Goss also argues that the regulation of the spaces within the mall creates an atmosphere of "community" rather than one that is "public". This article’s main argument is that developers manufacture an illusion of doing more than just shopping when designing malls and shopping centers.
The Merced mall leans towards more the negative side of the city and is quite noticeable since the sign of the mall seems to have never been changed since its establishment in 1969. This is interesting enough in itself because looking back at this previous election for mayor Mike Murphy (5) who promised to improve the Merced mall by remodeling and bringing in better stores, but we are still living with shopping areas that are all brought together by the main stores Target, Sears, JCPenney and Kohl's. It is more of strip mall rather than a real on like the Vintage Faire mall located in Modesto a larger neighboring city. The Merced Mall is located on the city's northwest side of the city near the 99 which includes Best Buy, Barnes & Noble, Lowe's, Wal-Mart, and several restaurants that are not located in the same facility, but within a relative walking distance that noted in my mental maps. Speaking of storefronts and restaurants it seems Merced Main Street contains several restaurants, a movie theater, and other assorted shops such as Cold Stone creamery and even Billiards another communal space in
Consumer culture plays a key role in the economy. Today, the ways in which urban spaces are arranged facilitate the consumption of goods. One only needs to look to modern cities such as New York, London or Tokyo in order to recognise the countless forms of advertisement intended to lure the mass population into spending money on various merchandises, from novelty items to luxury products. The use of built structures to facilitate the display of retail products for the consumption of the masses is nothing new. After its renovation, Paris became a model innovative city planning and construction for a lot of modern cities that exist today. The wide boulevards and open spaces engaged the mass population and encouraged consumerism.
Until 10 years ago, air pollution was thought to be just an urban or local problem until it was discovered that the pollutants could move across continents and oceans. Air pollution is the fundamental factor that causes greenhouse gases, hence climate change and global warming. Air pollutants are the waste products generated from industrial and other processes. They usually come in gases, though aerosols (particles suspended in air, emitted as or formed by transformatio...
Air pollution is caused by many things such as car fumes, burning of fossil fuels,
Pollution is what makes the people sick because the more cars the more the atmosphere is getting damaged and pollutes its.More people more waste,more trash,and no place to put trash.
Every other day a new industries are being set up, new vehicles on roads and trees are being cut to make way for new homes. All of them, indirect way lead to increase in CO2 leads to melting of polar ice caps which increase the sea level and pose danger for the people living near coastal areas. Pollution can have an impact in our health not only affects people with impaired respiratory system such as asthmatics, but very healthy adults and children too. Exposure to pollution for 6 to 7 hours, even at relatively low concentrations, reduces lung function and induces respiratory inflammation and, healthy people during periods of moderate
Finally, the mall is a wonderful entertainment center. Not only do people go there to shop, but they also got there for relaxation. There are movies sometimes as many as fifteen or sixteen. In addition, arcades are available for children, teens and adults. Some parents drop their children off at the arcade, give them a roll of quarters and pick them up after they have completed their shopping. For the hungry shopper there is a food court, which provides fast food for those shoppers who want to relax and possibly have a cocktail with their meal, other restaurants are available.