Shields, Rob., 1989. Social Spatialization and the built environment: The West Edmonton Mall. Environment and Planning D: Society and Space, 7: 147-64.
Shields article explores numerous aspects of social spatialization and the environment of the West Edmonton Mall. The development of this world class tourist attraction became the "largest, comprehensive tourist attraction ever built in the universe" (Shield, 150). The city of Edmonton needed a world class tourist attraction, needed a place were people would come to instead of going to other cities in the world to find the same thing. In this article Shield's provide a well analyzed and clear setting towards on how the Mall is becoming a substitute for the Street, and the contrast between the mall users or more specific 'post-shoppers' and 'mall rats'. One of the first point Shields mentions is the architecture of the mall, how the exterior is created with concrete and brick, and inside there is a bricolage of historicist recreations and high tech fantasy for example, a water park, ice rink, roller coaster, a three hundred and fifty room hotel and 'streetscapes' replica such as "Europa Boulevard", and New Orleans's Bourbon street.
Masks at Bourbon Street, West Edmonton Mall, Edmon...
English: West Edmonton Mall Polski: West Edmonton ...
Chinatown, West Edmonton Mall, Edmonton, Alberta, ...The Mall is built "under one roof" to offer the participants worry free of the weather conditions. The creation of this mall followed the same typology for other malls across North America, to have "two anchor department store at each end of a long street of specialty shops" (Shield, 150). Furthermore, Shields explains the reason of success for the mall it "defies conventional marketing wisdom" (Shields, 151). The development of the mall started at the right time during the decline in the oil industry in Alberta, and in turn it became a huge success, in 1987 it became the third best tourist attraction to visit respectively behind...