Imagine apartments built into what used to be department stores, (Oh, you’re JC Penny 203? I’m at Sears 106). Get those old arcades up and running. Set up meal stations at the food court. Once people actually live there, stores will start to move back in.

If I’m unable to finish my life in my own home, that doesn’t sound like a terrible option.

  • Guadin
    292 months ago
    link
    fedilink

    This isn’t a too shabby of an idea. It probably won’t be used but a mix of stores and homes in one building sounds great.

    • Rhaedas
      222 months ago
      link
      fedilink

      The idea of apartments centered around a grocery plaza has been a thing for a while. It’s almost an answer, except it still requires transportation to everything else. Plus the stores tend to be higher prices to support the cost of property and because they can.

      • fine_sandy_bottom
        22 months ago
        link
        fedilink

        apartments centered around a grocery plaza has been a thing for a while

        Do you mean like a town?

        • Rhaedas
          12 months ago
          link
          fedilink

          A town is a bit more than that, but it is how towns typically began, from a central trading place and nearby settlements. Only this is a planned concrete parking lot and established chain along with fully built domiciles, already in a city/town’s jurisdiction.

          • dustyDataEnglish
            22 months ago
            link
            fedilink

            Only this is a planned concrete parking lot

            That’s where it all falls down. Mandatory parking space kills cities. The point of a centralized commercial area with residential around is that people will walk to it.

      • Kaboom
        -22 months ago
        link
        fedilink

        Add a metro station, a large parking garage, should work