Design guidelines for downtown shopping centers

Abstract

This thesis focuses on urban design issues germane to downtown shopping center design. The underlying concept is that, all new downtown shopping centers should attempt to build upon the existing fabric in such a way as to become an integral part of the city. This study first examines the nature of retail districts, the shopping center as a building type, and the recent emergence of the downtown shopping center. Two recently constructed downtown centers will be reviewed, to uncover urban design concerns that are pertinent to the conceptual design of shopping centers in the context of downtowns. The intent of this study is to formulate design guidelines that address the problems of implementing this suburban retail model in the context of a downtown. These guidelines are then applied to a specific site in the form of a sketch problem. This study concludes with an evaluation of the guidelines and some recommendations for designing shopping places that are conceived as an integral part of the city.