Why does Metro detroit have so many super regional malls? (Warren: homes, unemployed)

[usroute10]

Originally Posted by ram2

Fairlane has a sister mall in the Chicago suburbs and that mall is doing very well.

Did this sister mall in Chicago have a rail line?

[jackmichigan]

Originally Posted by usroute10

Did this sister mall in Chicago have a rail line?

Of course, the monorail at Fairlane is long gone. It operated for a dozen years and it's been gone for over 30 years.

I remember when Fairlane Mall was built--what a waste of land from the Henry Ford Estate!

[adams_aj]

I grew up and eventually worked at Lakeside Mall--another Taubman mall, which looked exactly like Fairlane Town Center, except only two levels instead of three like Fairlane. Went to Fairlane one time right after it opened, specifically to ride the monorail. Damn I'm getting old!

[Ummagumma]

Originally Posted by KoNgFooCj

Somerset, Oakland, Fairlane, 12 Oaks, Lakeside, and those are just the ones classified as "Super Regional". There are several others with over 1 million square feet like Great Lakes, Eastland, and Westland.

This seems like more than enough for Chicago's metro area which is just over twice the population of Metro Detroit. I kind of understated it because Metro Detroit is such a sprawled and car-centric metro area, but it undoubtedly draws business from the city. Anyway, which ones do you think will survive into the future. Somerset's the obvious Alpha-Mall in the region so clearly thats not going anywhere.

I wonder how familiar is the OP with city’s history.

For the past 40 years - until very recently - the city and the suburbs could just as well be on different planets. The city was just that dangerous war zone you passed on your way to Windsor.

And the city just did not have the purchasing power to sustain a large number of malls.

I am really glad that a part of Detroit has finally come back, it’s a beautiful city and I love it.

But in the foreseeable future, the majority of Metro Detroit population and its consumer purchasing power is going to remain in the suburbs. Along with surviving malls.

[scorpio516]

Originally Posted by Ummagumma

For the past 40 years - until very recently - the city and the suburbs could just as well be on different planets. The city was just that dangerous war zone you passed on your way to Windsor.

60 years
Brown v. Board of Ed was 1957, that's what really started white flight. The riots were in 67

[Ummagumma]

Originally Posted by scorpio516

60 years
Brown v. Board of Ed was 1957, that's what really started white flight. The riots were in 67

Well, my knowledge of ancient history isn’t that great

[f5fstop]

Originally Posted by scorpio516

60 years
Brown v. Board of Ed was 1957, that's what really started white flight. The riots were in 67

I grew up in NW Detroit (Mark Twain to be exact), went to Cerveny and Cooley. The white flight in my neighborhood did not start till around 66. And it was a very big mistake and if it had not happened, I do believe Detroit would have been a better city.

Went into the Military in 66 and when I finally was discharged years later, Detroit was nothing like the city I grew up in. Saigon looked cleaner than Detroit.

I eventually left that area, went to work for to government; mostly overseas, then switched to another agency and lived in FL, TN, NY and then ended up heading back to MI again. Moved into Rochester Hills, and commuted to Downtown Detroit.

I hurt considering how when I was a teenager we could jump on a bus and head to the Fox and watch a movie with no problems always feeling safe.

Now, I worked at a job a block away from the McNamara Federal building and I did not really feel all that warm and fuzzy when I used to walk over there for a business purpose even though I was carrying a handgun.

Now, some people on this forum are saying Detroit is changing for the better, and yet I know people who still work where I worked and say other things. Downtown area is getting better; however, the outlying areas, other than a few select areas, are anything but getting better.

I can guarantee one thing, I will never go back to find out.

[Ummagumma]

Originally Posted by f5fstop

I grew up in NW Detroit (Mark Twain to be exact), went to Cerveny and Cooley. The white flight in my neighborhood did not start till around 66. And it was a very big mistake and if it had not happened, I do believe Detroit would have been a better city.

Went into the Military in 66 and when I finally was discharged years later, Detroit was nothing like the city I grew up in. Saigon looked cleaner than Detroit.

I eventually left that area, went to work for to government; mostly overseas, then switched to another agency and lived in FL, TN, NY and then ended up heading back to MI again. Moved into Rochester Hills, and commuted to Downtown Detroit.

I hurt considering how when I was a teenager we could jump on a bus and head to the Fox and watch a movie with no problems always feeling safe.

Now, I worked at a job a block away from the McNamara Federal building and I did not really feel all that warm and fuzzy when I used to walk over there for a business purpose even though I was carrying a handgun.

Now, some people on this forum are saying Detroit is changing for the better, and yet I know people who still work where I worked and say other things. Downtown area is getting better; however, the outlying areas, other than a few select areas, are anything but getting better.

I can guarantee one thing, I will never go back to find out.

That's because the street thugs and crackheads and prostitutes and mentally ill aggressive, verbally abusive beggars did not simply disappear from the downtown, they were merely squeezed out into the outlying areas.


It will be impossible to completely "fix" all of the city. We can only hope to make something like 3/4 of it livable, with a safe corridor stretching out from downtown to the suburbs. Which would still be a great comeback.

[lynnc99]

Originally Posted by ram2

What about Great Lakes Crossing?

My husband walks 5 miles at Great Lakes Crossing several times a week, and we don't live too far away. What they seem to do very well is filling any empty space FAST and keeping a strong entertainment presence. Peppa Pig just opened (a playground for young children), and there is also a huge arcade, Legoland, Sea Life Aquarium, a Planet Fitness, and of course the movies.

Nordstrom Rack is moving into the former Saks off Fifth space. A large new Columbia outlet store just opened, and Bass Pro Shop also brings in a lot of steady traffic.

Overall, the mall stays VERY busy. The mix of stores and activities seems to hit a lot of shoppers just right.

The biggest down side of GLC IMHO is the movies. AMC has not kept the theater updated (old style seating) , it's not neatly kept, and concession prices are high. Worst of all - the theater has been allowed to keep 2 huge empty retail spaces looking deserted on either side of their main mall-side entrance. One has signage for a cafe, the other for a sweet shop - but neither has been occupied in years. I also question the security of the theater on weekends, when it's busy but anyone can wander in from the direct outdoor entrance. I've seen some loitering down the hallways that didn't feel right.

[ram2]

Originally Posted by scorpio516

60 years
Brown v. Board of Ed was 1957, that's what really started white flight. The riots were in 67

There were riots in Detroit going back to the 1940s.