During the last 30 years, pedestrian malls have been built in hundreds of American cities in an attempt to revitalize downtown retailing. The majority of the malls that were opened in the 1960s and 1970s did not fulfill original expectations. Few malls are being constructed today, and city officials nationwide are pondering the future of existing malls. Pedestrian malls in six American cities are described and evaluated in this article to clarify (1) the extent to which malls have changed in terms of priorities, design, and economic activities and (2) the key issues that downtown mall planners will be facing during the 1990s.
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