Reaction to “In the Image of Man” by Gabriella Stalker
Reaction to “In the Image of Man” by Gabriella Stalker
Fascinating story of a world that is just imaginable with the anchor mall brands (Coca-Cola gets featured everywhere…are they paying??) and a state of human affairs that possibly qualifies as a prequel to WALL-E. Gabriella Stalker writes with a great sense of humor and the quote that stood out the most is “Today’s Mass is sponsored in part by Coca-Cola and EA Games. Please join us in singing ‘how Great Is Our God’ page sixty-two in your hymnal.”
I want to talk about malls because they’re in a general state of decline as 1) more shopping takes place online, 2) new generations value experiences over material goods, and 3) expensive real estate means stores really struggled to make ends meet. As a result, now is an inflection point for malls to find alternative uses or provide the “full experience package” that shoppers are craving.
People have been generating ideas for what to do with “dying malls”, here are some that are worth further exploration:
Community Living / Senior Housing / Homeless Shelter
Indoor Skating Rink / Arcade
Corporate HQ / Dorms (like Googleplex)
Library / Museum / Art Spaces
Bonus: A Town in One Building!
Did you know that everyone in Whittier, Alaska live in a single building? Wild, right?! Until you realize that it’s a town of 200+ people and the extreme weather doesn’t allow for many alternatives… It’s probably the most similar real-world example to Megamall in the story.