Critical Studies Module 3 (CBC2)
Look at issues of the blurred distinction between private and public space, using the shopping mall as a discussion point. Shopping malls also have specific internal and external architectural design traits that need to be unpacked.
An area or place that is open and accessible to all citizens, regardless of their race, ethnicity, gender, socio-economic level or age is referred to as a public space. This definition can be argued when one takes a closer look as to how public spaces are run and the rules and regulations that go hand in hand with operating a public space.
Spaces become private when an individual or small group of people take ownership. This can happen when a government vacates an area and leases it to developers, wanting them to maintain and manage it. Government law requires developers to give the public access to such spaces but management and access are two different things.
As privately owned companies or individuals take over what is termed a public space, rules and regulations tailored by those individuals are enforced. It is determined before development of any space, which users are envisioned to use it. Visiting malls in different locations, one will immediately see the effects of planning by viewing what types of people are there, how long they stay, what they buy and what they do. In this regard, I have decided to compare the V&A Waterfront situated between Robben Island and Table Mountain in the heart of Cape Town to CapeGate Mall situated at the heart of the 60ha mixed-use CapeGate precinct in Brackenfell.
Considered to be a great tourist destination, the V&A has a dazzling appearance next to the sea. With waves crashing against a man made wall as you take a walk to get away from the hustle and bustle of shopping. With many opportunities of sightseeing, boat rides and helicopter tours, it is expected that you spend the whole day there. Tourists can base their visit to the country around the V&A as accommodation is readily available and sightseeing beyond the V&A can be arranged. The layout of the V&A promotes leisure walking, with its intricate network of paths over bridges and through tunnels.
The CapeGate has a faster pace to it which slows down towards the evening when consumers begin to unwind after a hard day’s work. Situated in the suburbs, it appeals to the locals of that area who come and go as necessity drives them. Its layout motivates this need by grouping certain departments together in such a way that you don’t need to go through the whole mall just to watch a movie. Entertainment is in one wing of the mall, followed by clothing retailers then food retailers. Each department has an entrance and exit with attached parking.
Both malls are easily accessible to the public in that you can freely walk in and out as you please. At first glance, this is how it appears until you start making a note of what kind of public. Socio-economic levels play a big role in determining this. Discreetly placed security guards, patrol and control what happens in the malls according to the rules of management. Malls have the right to prevent all types of activities that interfere with the business of shopping. Even if it means arresting a man for wearing a t-shirt with a provocative message expressing how he feels about general world affairs, malls get away with it because of their legal status as private property.
V&A is aimed at upper class public who can afford to travel. The type of shops there would be termed expensive by the middle class public and completely unaccommodating to the lower class. While this distinction is not as obvious at CapeGate, it does exist. CapeGates consumers are residence of the area and that particular area has a class of its own.
Many aspects of urban life are driving people away from open public spaces to more secure enclosures like malls. As more and more people become economically desperate, crime is on the rise. It is easier to do crime in an uncontrolled open environment than in a well thought out structure. Malls are and have replaced the more traditional homes of free speech like parks and town squares; they are enclosed versions of these spaces. At the V&A, there are open spaces to walk and feel the breeze or to sit under trees and enjoy a meal whilst the CapeGate is fully enclosed but has architectural aspects which suggest outdoors. As you walk along, there are areas where you can see up past the 2nd floor to huge sunroofs that let in natural light.
CapeGate mainly caters for in and out consumer traffic, there is an element of a good experience while shopping. Small stalls are set up for those consumers who have come for the experience and wish to take home a memento of their visit. Food retailers are in variety to cater for more people doing necessity buying in this area. The V&A on the other hand concentrates on disguising shopping/spending money into an experience as you walk from shop to shop and enjoy the variety of entertainment. It is not a place to go do groceries or shop for hardware appliances which remind you that you are spending money.
Shopping malls create a nostalgic feeling through their design and location. Even though the CapeGate is fully enclosed, potted trees, plants and water features are present creating a nature relaxed environment. It is easy for a consumers mind to travel and to forget the ‘real’ world. It can become an addiction to the rush one gets when purchasing a new item or simply making eye contact with an unfamiliar face.
The size, design and function of shopping malls make them appear to be public spaces that are somewhat open to anyone and are safe. This counts drastically towards their success because they aim to offer a third place beyond home for many consumers. It is a place where young and old people can congregate to shop, socialize and participate in workings of the local community. Malls have the same feel that an outdoor park or street with its street signs, street lamps, benches, shrubbery and statues would have except for the added security and they are well kept with no signs of vandalism. Providing multiple attractions, shopping malls have become tourist resorts. Whether you are touring from across the borders or from another suburb, you can experience a wide variety under a single roof or in the case of V&A, in a single area.
The layout however, even though under one roof, has been created to make the consumer stay longer. This is evident at both the V&A and CapeGate through the arrangement of the up and down motion of the escalators. You will not have an escalator that goes up immediately next to the one that goes down as this shortens the consumers’ movement and exposure to the many shops. One would have to walk a distance before reaching the opposite escalator to the one you have just used, maximizing exposure. Automatic Teller Machines and banks are readily accessible, reducing having to get into your car to drive somewhere for cash. The need to stay longer is more evident at the V&A as some entertainment is far apart and requires you to walk through a network of shops to get to. Leaflets, information stands and maps are readily available to assist you in your visit.
Both V&A and CapeGate are culprits of enticing and informative advertisements. Touch screen TV sets are put up in both locations where consumers can tap through menus, products and entertainment schedules. As you walk through CapeGate, there are occasional food advertisements which increase in number as you get closer to the ever packed food court. This plays on the psychological part of shopping because as soon as you are standing in front of the shop whose advertisement you have been subconsciously following, it is the right thing to do to buy.
A shopping mall appears to be everything that it’s not because it appears to be a public space even though it is privately owned and its purpose is to make profit. It offers you a place to socialize and recreate while it makes money from retail. It also borrows signs and themes from other places and historical times to disguise its thirst on contemporary capitalism. I suspect the disappointment of some people who get home after what was supposed to be a quick visit to the mall, only to have their budget thrown way out of its capability. Lost in the nostalgic mood created by all the wonderful sparkling lights and shiny features of the mall, they end up over indulging. Just as one can be addicted to the internet, can one be addicted to the mall. Real live surfing and doing transactions physically. Walking and interacting with advertisements put up in malls enables immediate excitement when after walking a few more steps the actual product is readily available. It does not involve waiting a few weeks for it to arrive in the post.
Malls in general are more expensive than street vendors on open markets or in a public square. Government and private individuals have separate goals and budgets when putting up structures and this is where some of the confusion stems of what a public space really is. It is important that there is a balance in maintenance between these two types of public structures. Benefits of public investment should be distributed fairly but this is difficult to control. We expect to pay more for higher quality roads, bridges, water and other public entities but putting human needs out of proportion through manipulation of desires has side tracked communities. V&A and CapeGate are good examples of a side tracked community as they enclose only certain people, reinforcing segregation. Quality services indicate a well-functioning society but means nothing if it does not reach out to all members of the society. Privatizing spaces shifts responsibilities but this is not necessarily a bad thing. We are more likely to take responsibility for quality maintenance towards places that we own than places that we share with everyone.
Human beings are social beings that have a hunger to be authentic. As much as we like to see, we like to be seen. Being seen is a means of expressing who you want to be to the public eye and the means to do that is to be in the public limelight. It is unfortunate that not all public is public where public is considered to be public, resulting in vandalism and segregated enclosed public spaces. Disguising the act of shopping to ‘trick’ consumers into believing that they are not spending money but gaining an experience, mediates materialistic mass consumption, which in turn disguises the true identity of the mall.
“Under capitalism, man exploits man. Under communism, it's just the opposite.” John Kenneth Galbraith
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Body-Gendrot, S. Is the concept of public space Vanishing? Urban Age [Online]. www.urban-age.net
Edwards, P. Citizenship Inc.: Negotiating Civic Spaces in Post-urban America. Critical Survey. 18 (3). Pp 19-36
Goss, J. 1993. The Magic of the Mall: An Analysis of Form, Function, and meaning in Contemporary Retail Built Environment. Annals of the association of the American Geographers, 83 (1). Pp 18-47
IMAGES
http://www.capegatecentre.co.za
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-yn/content/article/2007/06/20/AR2007062002354.html
http://thewhereblog.blogspot.com/2009/06/public-and-private-space.html
