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GUEST COLUMN: Rethink retail spaces in an era of online shopping

We need to plan for mall renewal to avoid wasted space as population grows, says planning student
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The space taken up by shopping centres can be better utilized moving forward, says guest columnist. (News Bulletin photo)

BY ALISHA FESER

We need to plan for mall renewal to prevent wasted building space from the rise of online shopping, and to work toward effective use and enjoyment for the Nanaimo community.

A trip to the mall used to be an every-weekend event as a kid, and a hangout spot unchaperoned by parents with my friends in high school. It was cool.

So, what’s happening to our local shopping malls?

Online shopping has been rising since the 1990s. According to Statistics Canada, online sales grew by 33 per cent in Canada between 2014 and 2016. Since COVID-19, these numbers have tripled. Today, you can purchase anything online on sites such as Amazon, from gift wrap to loaves of bread. Why drive somewhere when items can be delivered to your front door with a click of your finger?

The ever-growing online shopping trend directly affects physical retail stores, and more specifically, regional shopping malls. How will shopping malls survive this drastic change?

When COVID-19 made its presence for the first time in Canada in early 2020, online sales hit an all-time high. According to Statistics Canada, from February 2020 to May 2020, online retail sales increased by 99 per cent. Health mandates implemented temporary lockdowns and social distancing, so we didn’t have a choice at the time, but it has permanently changed the way we do things, including shopping. This will have a long-term effect on physical store fronts.

Sears, Target, Zellers and other large department stores have barred their doors here in Canada over the last few decades. Closures of large retail stores directly affect regional shopping malls, as they are economic anchors.

This is a concern particularly for Nanaimo because the city has a large amount of land dedicated to shopping mall space where the parking lots remain relatively empty aside from the month of December. According to a City of Nanaimo economic report from 2019, the population of the city is projected to grow by seven per cent by 2024. In this case, Nanaimo needs to prepare to absorb this growth and no land should be wasted. Large parking lots that remain empty for much of the year may not be the best use of space.

So, what would we do with this mall space otherwise? There are a million opportunities.

Mall redevelopments have been happening all over North America for the last 20 years in response to their slow decline. There are so many fantastic examples as to how they can be revamped into thriving and vibrant community centres. One is to shift them from retail-focused spaces and into places that are ideal for social gatherings and encourage community connections. Shifting from a retail-dominant format can make the space less reliant on retail sales by providing the community something they cannot get online.

Take Uptown Shopping Centre in Victoria for example. Over the last 10 years it has been redeveloped from an old, underutilized strip mall into a mixed-use community where not only are there retail stores, but entertainment, restaurants, offices, and soon to be housing as proposed in their upcoming Phase 4 of development. Uptown is a space that is accessible and useful for the local community and visitors.

READ ALSO: Uptown-Douglas plan in Saanich off to public hearing

However, this type of redevelopment may not be suitable for all cities. Redevelopment should be based on the needs of the surrounding communities. As mentioned before, the options are endless.

Overall, our shopping malls could be re-created to mitigate the downfalls of online shopping, and instead be used as a space that contributes to social, economic, and environmental prosperity for our community.

Alisha Feser is a master of community planning student at Vancouver Island University.