Redesigning the strip mall

heather mcintyre/metro

Exhibit organizer Merle Patchett browses through the idea for a strip mall in Edmonton's Queen Mary Park neighbourhood yesterday at Enterprise Square.

Next up

-The exhibit will be on display at Enterprise Square, 102 Street and Jasper Avenue, until Jan. 18, at which time a closing party will be held and prizes will be awarded.
-A travelling exhibit and bookwork will tour planning departments and design schools across North America throughout 2012.

Published: December 14, 2011 5:45 a.m.

Last modified: December 14, 2011 12:21 p.m.

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This design competition is all about strip appeal.

Visions for reinventing the neighbourhood strip mall were unveiled at Enterprise Square yesterday by the University of Alberta’s City-Region Studies Centre.

The idea is small-scale malls need to be more walkable, sustainable and relevant to the communities they are in, as retail focus has shifted to larger-scale shopping districts.

“It’s clear by the empty spaces,” said Rob Shields, art and design professor and CRSC director. “It’s a dated concept.”

More than 100 submissions came in to strip-appeal.com from 11 countries — including for locations in Edmonton.

One design envisions food trucks with social media alerts being sent out to the area. Others call for a parking lot market and portable spaces instead of permanent shops.

“The strip mall is so general, it can be found everywhere in the world,” said Merle Patchett, CRSC postdoctoral fellow. “And it’s problematic everywhere in the world.”

There are hundreds in Edmonton, estimated Shields, adding 50 are known to be derelict.

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