What Main St. Can Learn From the Mall by Steven Lagerfeld

1. Criteria to evaluate Main St.

• location of benches: too many loiters and attractive teenagers sitting on the benches will scare off shoppers.
  
• location of stores: Are the restaurants next to the retail stores?
• color of trash cans and newspaper.
• are shop windows and signs visible?
• Any distractions such as Victorian street lamps, the expensive trash cans, and granite paving stones.
• The texture of the side walk. Will they be too hard to clean?
• Are there enough securities to make the shoppers feel safe.
  
• Are the sidewalks grimy?
• Is there a left turn rule?
• Is Main st. a vital city street?
• Does Main St. have variety of stores?

2. I do not think Main Street should be a mall because strip shopping centers, suburban market, big box retailers and power centers are dominating malls. It just proves that the idea of a small town shopping center works. People want change, something that malls cannot offer because their stores all the same chain stores. Besides that, people enjoy a nice walk while shopping for merchandise. However, Main St. should follow the trends and designs that malls used to turn small downtown into a shopping machine.

3. Checklist

1. left turn rule
2. location of benches, trees, and trash cans placed in the right places
3. does the town have at least 200000 sq ft of retail space.
4. main-main intersection
5. impression of parking lot

I find the left turn rule and the first impression of parking lot most important.