traditional shopping streets or modern malls
DESCRIPTION
The recent transformation of the retail spaces in Yerevan, the shopping mall and the traditional shopping streets are the focus of this study due to the primary influence on urban life. The paper discusses the importance of current shopping streets in Yerevan, and the prospective impact of the development of the Mall in the city. Qualitative method was chosen as the basis for the development of the discussion part of the paper. The 50 face to face interviews with various representatives of the society show the importance of the Small Center, the shopping center in Yerevan. The fact that the Dalma Garden Mall is still under construction, the possible effect is discussed.TRANSCRIPT
[ANI MNATSAKANYAN] January 14, 2012
SHOPPING STREET VS SHOPPING MALL A case study in Yerevan, Armenia
Author: ANI MNATSAKANYAN
ANI MNATSAKANYAN January 14, 2012
1
Shopping Street vs Shopping Mall
A case study in Yerevan, Armenia, 2011
Author: Ani Mnatsakanyan
Abstract
The socio-economic, cultural and physical behaviour of a society is related to sustainable
development; hence a change has a resultant and multiplier effect on the whole system
(Voorburg, 2010). The shopping mall has long been on the centre of attention of various
researchers. The recent transformation of the retail spaces in Yerevan, the shopping mall and the
traditional shopping streets are the focus of this study due to the primary influence on urban life.
The paper discusses the importance of current shopping streets in Yerevan, and the prospective
impact of the development of the Mall in the city. Qualitative method was chosen as the basis for
the development of the discussion part of the paper. The 50 face to face interviews with various
representatives of the society show the importance of the Small Center, the shopping center in
Yerevan. The fact that the Dalma Garden Mall is still under construction, the possible effect is
discussed.
Key words: sustainable retail development, vitality, vibrancy, place attachment, liveability,
shopping mall, shopping street, mixed – use, accessibility, attractiveness.
ANI MNATSAKANYAN January 14, 2012
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Contents
1. Introduction ____________________________________________________________ 2
Problem Statement ______________________________________________________________ 4
Aim and research questions _______________________________________________________ 4
Research Questions _____________________________________________________________ 5
2. Urban context of Yerevan _________________________________________________ 5
Presentation of the study objects ___________________________________________________ 6
3. Findings and analysis ____________________________________________________ 8
Mixed range of products _________________________________________________________ 9
Accessibility____________________________________________________________________ 9
Attractiveness _________________________________________________________________ 10
The shopping mall _____________________________________________________________ 11
4. Discussion ____________________________________________________________ 12
Mix of activities________________________________________________________________ 13
Accessibility___________________________________________________________________ 13
Place attachment ______________________________________________________________ 14
Potential impact of the Shopping mall______________________________________________ 15
Concluding remarks ____________________________________________________________ 16
References ________________________________________________________________ 17
Appendix _________________________________________________________________ 21
All the photographs presented in the paper are made by the author
1. Introduction
Throughout history city space has served as meeting place, marketplace and connection
space, and most of the world’s cities still provide the framework for these vital functions
(Gehl Jan, 2010). In many developing countries, numerous important daily functions take
place outdoors in city space (Gehl Jan, 2010). According to Jackson (1994) the strongest
sense of place may thus occur in places that are able to preserve these different functions. City
centers retain the most consistently important examples of historic preservation, pedestrian-
scale urban design, socially cohesive community identity, and sense of place (Herzog, 2006).
ANI MNATSAKANYAN January 14, 2012
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Public places are a vital resource in the development of the central city, but public life has
suffered in the decentralized metropolis of the late twentieth century (Herzog, 2006). The role
of the streets as settings for human activities is threatened by creation growing shopping
complexes development and shopping malls (Shuhana & Bashri, 2004). Shopping malls are
being developed in many countries. When referring to the reshaping of landscapes through
globalization, Arjun Appadurai (1990) provides us with a stimulating outline of complex,
overlapping and disjunctive landscapes. Due to the influences of globalization that are making
the world a “global village”, the malls are likely to become part of the urban scene in many
countries including Armenia.
The transformation of city life from public to private, between the seventeenth and the
twentieth centuries, still left open the question for contemporary urban policy makers: what
role should public spaces play?
The retail viability of inner-city shopping streets is highly influenced by pedestrians and that
the impact of new retail developments on the turnover in the shopping street is closely related
to the functional linkages between shops/shopping streets, the location pattern of malls
(Johnston and Kissling 1971; Bennison and Davies 1977a, b; Pacione 1980).
The current development of the shopping streets in the city, as exemplified by the
construction of new mall at suburban area of the city, may change the pattern of inner-city
pedestrian behaviour and hence the viability of particular shopping streets dramatically. That
is why, it is important to predict the likely effects of such redevelopment schemes on vibrancy
in shopping streets when evaluating alternative planning scenarios.
The study addresses the issues of retail space of the urban and social functions of the
shopping streets and squares which are the key urban spaces in the city of Yerevan. The focus
of the study is the Small Center, the main public space in Yerevan. With its busy shopping
streets, the Small center is a place for gathering, socializing for city residents of all ages. It
contributes to the city character with unique sense of place, and attachment. The study
investigates the role of shopping streets in the social lives of the people and their relation to
the urban characteristics of the city in order to understand the urban qualities that will be lost
with the replacement of the Small Center by the shopping mall in Yerevan.
ANI MNATSAKANYAN January 14, 2012
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Problem Statement
The development of the retail space in Yerevan seems to take the form of transformation of
the currently old fashioned (traditional format) retail outlets to shopping malls.
The traditional place for shopping is the Small Center in Yerevan. The Small Center of the
city consist of several central shopping streets, which are among the earliest streets built in the
city and have always been associated with the mix of retail and leisure activities. Moreover,
the Small Center is also a residential area. The buildings of the area have a mix arrangement
where the shops are on the ground floors facing the street and the living areas are on the upper
floors. This kind of design results in a very lively environment where there will be people at
any time of the day in this area. The Small Center is an important part of the city history and
the vibrant shopping and socializing scenes in this area can be seen to form part of the city’s
characteristics and identity.
According Rybczynski (1993) shopping malls casts as the new downtown business districts,
and the new public spaces. Some urbanists argue that since the format has caught on,
developers and merchandisers will now become more innovative in making the shopping
malls respond to the larger public life needs (recreation, public discourse) of city dwellers
(Rybczynski, 1993). In contradiction, Sorkin (1992) argues, that many are critical of such a
view, noting that such retail environments are artificial public spaces, in that they are
controlled by private capital and principally designed for marketing and not for residence.
The “Dalma Garden” Mall is a new shopping mall that is being built at the outskirt of the city,
in the south-western part of Yerevan in Malatsya – Sebastya administrative region. The Mall
is considered to be pioneering for the new-generation format mall. Only worldwide known
brands will be represented in the Mall.
The question is raised as to what kind of impacts the development of the Mall will have to the
retail activities in the Small Center and to the city identity. Will the shops at the Mall draw out
all the customers from the Small Center? How will this affect the social life in the city center?
How will this affect the vibrancy of the city center and the city’s urban character?
Aim and research questions
The aim of this research is to highlight the urban qualities of the shopping streets at the Small
Center. This will serve as a basis to discuss possible impacts of the transformation of the retail
ANI MNATSAKANYAN January 14, 2012
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space from Small Center with shopping streets to shopping malls in Yerevan and how this
will affect the urban character of the city and the social life of the people.
Research Questions
Q. 1. What are the urban and social qualities of the Small Center?
Q. 2. How will the development of the shopping mall affect the social/cultural values of the
traditional shopping streets and the characters/identity of the city?
2. Urban context of Yerevan
Armenia gained its independence from the Soviet Union in 1991. During these past years of
transition period the Armenian economy has undergone a systematic transformation. Armenia
has managed to reduce poverty, slash inflation, stabilize the currency, privatize most small-
and medium- sized enterprises. Armenia had made progress in implementing some economic
reforms, including privatization, price reforms, and prudent fiscal policies, but a narrow
export base and the geographical isolation and monopolies in important business sectors have
made Armenia particularly vulnerable to the sharp deterioration in the global economy. The
economy of Armenia relies on manufacturing, services, remittances, and agriculture.
Yerevan is the capital of the Republic of Armenia. Yerevan is situated in the north-eastern
part of Ararat valley, on both sides of Hrazdan River. Yerevan occupies 227.0 sq. km. Area.
The population of the capital is 1 million 113 thousand, which is approximately 34.0% of the
whole population of the Republic of Armenia. Daily approximately 400-450 thousand people
are arriving and departing to Yerevan from the other regions of Armenia.
Yerevan is Armenia's largest economic, scientific and cultural center, and is a major
transportation hub. With 29.0% of Armenia’s economic active population (345.9
thousand), the capital's share of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is 52.0%, almost half of the
production capacity (Statistics of Administrative region, 2009).
There is numerous state and private universities, a great number of schools, colleges and
libraries in the city. Yerevan is a centre of national Armenian and international political,
business and scientific events, such as conferences, congresses, symposia, forums, seminars,
exhibitions, as well as cultural and sport events like festivals, sport competitions and artistic
tours.
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The development of the commercial real estate property so far has been driven by the
residential real estate, mainly through the formats of mixed use projects. Along with the
gradual increase of demand for quality commercial space, the purely commercial real estate
formats are expected to dominate the new completions. Yerevan market of commercial real
estate has enjoyed an upsurge in supply of shopping space, with compound annual growth rate
of about 17% during 2001-2007. The increment in the total stock was generated both by the
new supply of shopping centers and the developments in street retail property.
Presentation of the study objects
The objects of the study are taken two areas:
the first one is the so called Small Center
(Figure 1) of the city - the Northern Avenue
with nearby shopping streets, which is hosting
the most prestigious international brand, retail
operators and small-size unbranded boutiques at
the same time, and the second area is the
Dalma-Garden Mall, which is the largest multi-
functional shopping complex in Armenia.
Small Center includes Nothern Avenue and the nearby streets: Tumanyan Street and Abovyan
Street. The Northern Avenue is located between two main socio-cultural areas of Yerevan. It
starts from the Main Republic Square (Figure
2), which is the center of the city and has been
one of the favourite places of the residents for
leisure. On the other side of Northern Avenue
the Opera House is located (Figure 3). The
Opera House besides being cultural house, its
nearby area (Figure 3) has been one of the most
attractive places for all residents of Yerevan for
many years and till now. The shopping streets
are manifested by the use of multi-storeyed
buildings of which retail stores for the most part
Figure 3
Figure 2
Figure 1
ANI MNATSAKANYAN January 14, 2012
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occupy choice street level frontage, service establishments are concentrated either on the
street level or into upper story offices. The residential occupancy is set as residential.
The Small Center draws customers from all parts of the city. Many people besides being
customers are likewise employed in the various commercial and service occupations.
To serve this movement of purchasing, visiting, and working population to and from the area
all modes of intra-city transportation (metro, bus, minibus, etc) are focused here (Figure 4).
All the community facilities such as parks, schools, post offices, banks are located within
close proximity in a compact urban form.
Malatsia – Sebastia administrative region is the
south-western gate of Yerevan. The district was
founded in 1927 with the decision of Soviet
Armenia Government. The region occupies
25.80km2. The population of the area is
158,700. There are several industrial enterprises
in the district. The trade and service sphere is
quite developed and is distributed considerably
equal. There are 340 trade and services objects
and 10 supermarkets.
In 2008 the construction of the largest multi-functional shopping complex in Armenia has
been launched in this district. The estimated opening date of the Complex is set the first
quarter of 2012. It occupies 43.500 m2,
from
which 32.600 m2 is trading area. The director
of the company Alexander Harutyunyan
stated that more than 150 companies will be
situated in the two floors and the roof of the
building (Figure 5).
Figure 4
Figure 5
Figure 4
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3. Findings and analysis
The study found that males go for shopping with their family more often than females, and the
female respondents prefer to go shopping with their friends. As it was expected, females go
shopping more often than males: 80% (16) of female respondents answered that they go for
shopping at average 4-5times a week, while only 20% of males go for shopping so frequently.
A high majority of male respondents (90% (18 persons) say that they go for shopping with
their family. Only 14 females (60%) do this, while40% of females go shopping with friends.
They combine meeting with friends and shopping because of the busy schedule and the lack
of time.
Less than half of the respondents live in the area: 40% (16 people) of all the respondents are
residents in the area. They work and spend their free time: shopping socializing in the Small
Center. Only 2 of 16 residents go to work to the other parts of the city every day, but they
socialize and go shopping in Small Center – when they return from work. 60% of the
respondents are visitors, coming to the area for
various reasons, such as studying, shopping,
working, for services. The respondents said that
the area provides them with wide range of
activities both for socialising and leisure.
All visitors (24 people) go to the area during the
office hours for shopping or for other services
(banks, providers of communication services).
Most of the visitors (20 people) come back to
the area after office hours also, to participate in
the wide range of activities such as walking, socialising, visiting cafes, restaurants, or for
cultural purposes.
Where do the visitors come from? While a larger group of visitors (15 of 24 people) are from
different districts of Yerevan, some also come from nearby towns, such as Ashtarak,
Abovyan, and Artashat.
The Northern
Avenue (evening)
ANI MNATSAKANYAN January 14, 2012
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Mixed range of products
One of the key questions of the survey refers to what kind of products the respondents buy in
the area. All the visitors (60% of the interviewed) buy their clothes, shoes, jewellery in this
area. They buy food and household stuff near their houses as they are stores nearly on the first
floor of every residential building. The visitors mentioned that the wide range of choice of
products and activities (various types of shops, cafes, restaurants, theatres, greenery areas) is
the reason for them to come to the area.
The residents (40% of the interviewed) who live
in the area, explain that the wide range of the
shops that are situated near the homes make it
convenient for them to do most their shopping in
the Center. They buy their food and household
stuff from nearby SAS and STAR supermarkets.
‘The mix of prestigious international brands’
and unbranded boutiques of women’s and men’s
clothing, shoe stores, jewellery stores, cafés,
restaurants, all of these that are operating along
the streets of the Small Center are the main attracting factor for me in this area during the
office hours. In the evenings, when the shops are closed, there are a greenery area with a
small water pool near the Opera house, lots of cafés and restaurants for every budget, and the
developed pedestrian, that attracts me to return to this area in the evenings.”- interview with
a 35 years-old woman, visitor.
Accessibility
Accessibility is another factor that attracts the people to come to the Center. The residents of
the area answered that they walk in the area and usually don’t need to use any other transport
means. 37,5 % of the resident-respondents have their own cars, but they only use car when
they travel outside the area. The majority of the residents (62,5 %) don’t have their own cars,
and use public transport, especially metro and minibuses in their daily travel.
The transport means of the visitors is not that much different. Three fourth of the visitors (17
people) use public transport to get to the area and only nearly one fourth of the visitors (7
people) have their own cars, and they use them to travel to the Small Center. All of the car-
SAS Supermarket on
Tumanyan Street
ANI MNATSAKANYAN January 14, 2012
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owners are men. Good accessibility is one of the reasons for many visitors to come to the
Small Area, as expressed by this visitor (woman):“Visiting this area is more comfortable. I
can mention few reasons: though I use public transport, I choose to come here, first of all
because nearly all types of the public transport have access to this area, which makes my
visiting more convenient. The second is the mix of the shops and the services, which are
situated close to each other, which allow me not to think about the transport during my visit
to the area.”
Attractiveness
The question regarding to the attractiveness of the area was discussed with shop-owners,
visitors and the residents of the area.
The shop-owners mentioned that the main factor that attracts them to start their business in
this area is the mix of activities which ensured the presence of customers of various age,
social status and etc. All shop-owners, totally 10 people are connected with area due to
economic reasons; this is the only source of income for them.
“I start my business on the Northern Avenue few years ago. The area attracts me with the
existence of people of different preferences, age and sex. I can also mention that the
popularity of the Northern Avenue is increasing every year, more and more people are
coming here both during office hours and in the evenings. I run a small café on the Tumanyan
street for already 10 years. The Tumanyan street is one of the oldest and central streets of
Yerevan and it is always full of people. The main factor for me to start business is the
popularity of the area. ” – said a middle-aged male shop-owner.
It was quite interesting to discuss this question with the residents of the area, especially with
those of the older generation, who has seen all the transformations of the area, have their own
memories, and stories about the Abovyan and Tumanyan streets. The streets Abovyan and
Tumanyan are the oldest streets in Yerevan. Their location between the Opera House and the
Republic Square and mix of activities always make them popular among all members of the
society of all age. For many residents these public spaces become the landmark of the area.
Through these places, the residents have developed a unique sense of attachment with the area
as illustrated by the interview with this respondent: “I have lived on the Sayat - Nova street
since 1950s. I remember the old center of the city. When I was young our favourite place for
hanging up was the surrounding area of the Opera House or the Republic Square. I have a lot
ANI MNATSAKANYAN January 14, 2012
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of sweet memory about this area. I spend my
childhood, youth in this area and I am still
here. We nearly know each other who has lived
in the Small Center, it was like big family.
During this period of time I have seen the
transformation of the area. I can notice that
each year more and more people are coming
here, but I can mention with sadness that every
year the unique atmosphere of the Small
Center is disappearing, this are even noticing the younger generation.”- An old male resident
of the area.
The responses show that landscape elements such as trees and green areas are important and
contribute to the attractiveness of the place. All the respondents both visitors and residents
consider Northern Avenue less attractive than Abovyan and Tumanyan streets since there is
no trees and green along the Avenue.10 visitors said that though they come to the Small
Center they try to avoid from walking in the Northern Avenue when it’s sunny especially in
hot weather. They also add that this fact makes uncomfortable for visiting the shops on the
Northern Avenue during the mentioned period.
The shopping mall
The question about the new shopping mall in
Yerevan was asked to all 50 respondents, including
the shop-owners. All the 10 shop-owners have
heard about the new shopping mall in Yerevan. I
asked the shop-owners if they have any branches of
their shops in the mall, and got the following result:
none of them have or is planning to have shop there
yet. Nearly half (45%) of the respondents who are not shop owners, answered that they have
heard about the mall, 55% (22 people) haven’t heard about it.
When asked if they are planning to visit the mall and why they will visit it, all the interviewed
people answered that they will definitely visit the mall, first of all because of curiosity since it
is a new thing in the city.
Dalma Garden Mall
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The residents of the Small Center said that they will visit it, just for viewing and because of
curiosity. Whether they will do shopping there? They hesitate and answer that it will be
inconvenient for them to buy things from the Mall and carry them home. The remaining
respondents (34 people including the shop-owners) answered that they definitely will visit the
mall, but as only high end branded shops will be in the mall and as there will not be many
activities there, they will not be frequent visitors of the mall.
As all the interviewed people show their interest in visiting the mall, I was wondering what
kind of transport they will use to get there.
7 people who are visitors of Small Center who has their own car answered that they will visit
the mall by car. 10 people said that they will walk there, if they have nothing to buy that day,
any other time they will have to use public transport for visiting it.
6 shop-owners out of 10 have their own car and they will visit the Mall by car. The remaining
(37 people) will use public transports. And respondents said that due to the inconvenient
linkages and the lack of public transport they won’t visit the mall often.
The above show that visiting the Mall brings additional inconvenience in the life of all the
respondents. It is clear that visiting the Mall will increase transport dependence for the
respondents; even just for visiting the Mall they have to use car or public transport, rather than
walking. It also puts some limitation on the activities of the respondents: such as it was
mentioned by the respondents that because of the fact that only international high end brand
shops will be represented there, most of the respondents will become just the visitors of the
Mall. As they become visitors not the customers of the Mall they prefer to spend their time on
the open air and in the area that has the mix of activities.
4. Discussion
The field study illustrates that mixed uses found in the Small Centre succeeded in creating a
close knit community that is interdependent of each other in their daily routine. The situation
makes the city more sustainable as the urban form is more compact with maximum use of
resources (land) and efficient infrastructure.
ANI MNATSAKANYAN January 14, 2012
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The study shows that centrally located shopping streets in in the city provide favourable
settings for people to meet and socialise. The elements that users associated with the
attractiveness of the Small Centre fall into four broad categories which mix of activities,
accessibility, and comfort and place attachment.
Mix of activities
The study shows that mix of activities of the street attracts users to the Small Center. The
Northern Avenue, Abovyan street and Tumanyan street are popular with the respondents for
their very intense in mix-use in terms of street activities and also accommodate activities such
as walking and sitting. The types of business operating along the streets of the area, the mix of
the most prestigious international brands’ and unbranded boutiques of women’s and men’s
clothing stores, shoe stores, jewellery stores, department stores, drug stores, cafes, restaurants
and other stores selling convenience goods are the main factors mentioned by the“mobile”
users, that attracts them to the Small Area. Following the responses of the people the variety
of land-use and the mix of activities are among the most important elements that attract users
to the area, compared to other physical factors, such as design of the street and its
architectural qualities. According to Jenks (2000) the cities in developing countries, such as
Yerevan, are characterised by high level of mixed use, ease of access to a wide range of goods
and services, which ensure high levels of vitality and vibrancy. Concentration of retail
activities and place attachment of the users to the area are the main pulling factors of the
Small Center, that both type of the users associate with the identity of the area. The
interaction between static and mobile users creates an environment full of life and sensory
effect.
Accessibility
According to the study the distance between the public transportation stations and the study
area influence the quality of linkages and play significant role in attracting people. So,
convenient distance between the stops and the streets is a good combination for a “successful”
public open space.
The study shows that accessibility of the street is very important to the users of the Small
Center. Saving of cost and time are the reasons mentioned by most part of the respondents.
According to the respondents activities along the streets develop a “walkable” experience,
which is a factor that attracts the users. The presence of a large number of people also acts as
ANI MNATSAKANYAN January 14, 2012
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a security and comfort features of the street. Jacobs (1995) argues that the street will gain and
maintain a reputation for being interesting, lively and secured, when people enjoy going there
to see and to be. Safety of the space is another reason, and the presence of the people in the
area already makes it safe and reliable. Provision of outdoor cafes and restaurants also helps
to create walkable environment and provide comfort for the users even after the office hours.
The transportation is related to accessibility, easy access is one of the main factors that attract
people to the Small Center, as has been mentioned by the respondents. But as Jacobs (1995)
mentioned the street should be a public place for diverse human activities rather than just for
vehicular transportation. The respondent-residents mention that the variety of access is one of
the most important factors for visiting the area. The variety of access relates to the different
public transportation service, such as metro, minibuses, buses, taxies, trolleybuses, which all
together is the public transport in Armenia. Public transportation has been mentioned by users
in attracting them to the area.
Place attachment
According to the study longer period of engagement resulted in more explicit knowledge of
the streets and its history and transformation, which increases the strong sense of pride and
belonging to the area. This kind of attachment could be noted among the respondents who are
residents of the Small Center and who have been going through its transformation. who has
been familiar with all transformations in the Small Center, especially in Abovyan Street and
Tumanyan street. The shop owners have a strong influence on the sense of attachment; they
strongly expressed a sense of belonging to the area, due to the economic dependence and
substance on the places. The mobile users, mainly the visitors of the area, are attached to the
area due to their functionally attractive roles. The Northern avenue is a pedestrian priority
area and according to users opinion large matured street give a sense of comfort which attracts
them to shop here. It has been discussed that place attachment is an affective bond or link
between people or individuals and specific places (Hidalgo and Hernandez, 2001; Moore and
Graefe, 1994), which is expressed through interplay of affects and emotions, knowledge and
beliefs, behaviours and actions (Altman and Low, 1992).
According to the respondents the variety outdoor activities, mixed range of products, cultural
values: such as theatres, museums; walkability and safety are other factors that attract them to
come to the Small Center. The multiple outdoor activities in form of open-air cafes, green
spaces, meeting places, which are also physical form of the area, make the environment
ANI MNATSAKANYAN January 14, 2012
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liveable and attractive for people of all ages. Activities and interesting shop window fronts
force the pedestrians to slow down by their very complexity. The detail design and goods
displayed can make the pedestrians to stop and look at “window shop”. This fact has been
mentioned by both and shop-owners and mobile users. The findings support the arguments
made by Canter (1997) and Montgomery (1998) that physical form, activity and meaning are
the main components of place.
The centrally located buildings and public places in the Center provide settings for people to
meet and socialise. Residential use is part of the streets character in the Small Center,
especially due to the fact that Abovyan street and Tumanyan street are among the oldest
streets that were built in the city, and create a unique environment of the area. According to
Davenport and Anderson (2005) sense of belonging and purpose give meaning to his or her
life. That’s why the place plays important role in developing and maintaining self and group
identity as well as a person’s well-being. The responses of the residents show that the central
location of the streets and their being places, that have historical meanings, are elements that
form the attraction of these streets. They also make the area attractive to visitors and
contribute significantly to the city identity.
The open-air concerts near The Opera House or in The Republic Square, classical concerts or
operas in The Opera House, The National Gallery and the theatres on the Abovyan street are
the example of unique environment created by the cultural values and life style of local
residents and the visitors.
Landscape elements have been mentioned by both types of the users of the area, that there is a
lack of this element especially trees in the Northern Avenue, which makes passing through it
during day time in summer quite uncomfortable. The Abovyan street and Tumanyan street as
they are old streets there are trees and plants along the both sides of the streets. The trees
provide both physical and psychological presence to the street. The integration of the street
planting creates “sense of enclosure”, which decreases the vulnerable feelings of openness,
and all these brings to the establishment a “sense of territoriality and belonging”.
Potential impact of the Shopping mall
Discussing the answers of the respondents can be said that Dalma Garden Mall will be place
where people from middle and low class go just for interest in the new place in Yerevan. As
only worldwide known brands will be represented there it will mostly become a place for
ANI MNATSAKANYAN January 14, 2012
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shopping of the higher class of the society. Goodman and Coote (2007) argue that shopping
malls add very little to the diversity or developing individual sense of place, they are
providing bland representations of a monoculture. This can result the limitation of the
presence of the people from different layers of the society as customers. This fact was
discussed by Kowinski (1985), who mentioned that mall would not become true community
center and people existence would be ensured just by few public activities. As the respondents
do not exclude the fact that they will visit the Mall though not as costumers, there is
possibility that controlled environment of the Mall will keep them inside the Mall and make
comfortable socializing there. As there is residential area near the Mall the social life might be
ensured by those residents. According to the respondents answers they will prefer to do their
shopping in the Small Center rather than go to the Mall. They also mention that going to the
Mall will add some inconveniences in their daily life.
Unfortunately during the interviews there wasn’t anyone among the respondents from the
area where the Mall is being built, this let us just to suppose that the Mall may become a place
for social interaction for the residents of nearby houses. As suggested by Jackson (1996) the
malls might be another kind of space for a positive atmosphere for social interaction, which
may significantly contribute to the retail traffic of the mall.
Due to the answers it obviously has become clear that it will increase the car dependency,
because getting to the Mall all the respondents answer they will have to use transport: private
cars or public transport. But public space is destroyed by widespread car usage in cities and
facilitates the creation of privatised public space. According Wickham and Lohan (1999), as
cars take over the world outside the house, it less and less an area for public sociability - the
key characteristic of city life.
Concluding remarks
The mall experience in Armenia is quite new, and this makes it difficult to draw conclusions
about consumption and identity issues and proposed changes in lifestyle, as opposed to
Jewell’s (2001) claim for Britain, that it seems to be a long lasting one, considering the socio-
cultural context.
As Zukin (1995, p. 191) suggests‘‘… ordinary shopping districts frequented by ordinary
people are important sites for negotiating the street-level practices of urban public culture in
all cities’’. This can definitely be true for Yerevan, which has traditional shopping streets in
the Small Center, in addition to the urban core and a few high streets. The current situation in
ANI MNATSAKANYAN January 14, 2012
17
Yerevan indicates that it is possible that both the newly established mall and the traditional
shopping center may be used. This mainly may be because of the novelty of the shopping mall
development, and change through time may favour the controlled spaces provided by the
malls. However, it is still early to make comments upon positive and negative aspects of mall
development in Yerevan. It may result a disappearing of the urban core and open spaces such
as parks and other recreational areas, or it may develop alongside them.
The study has shown that accommodation of various activities that reflect cultural values of
the residents ensures the success of the Small Center. The ability of the traditional shopping
streets to sustain the sense of place, which is created by the meanings and association, links to
the Small Center. The mix of activities and the historical significance of the Small Center as
the earliest shopping center in Yerevan evoke a lot of meanings to the users that influence on
their degree of attachment. The study has shown that place attachment should be taken into
consideration for the design of urban space and places due to its significant contribution in
influencing the sense of place. As mentioned by Roger, a city is attractive and creative if it is
well designed and if people want to come and live in it because as they walk about it day by
day, they feel enlightened by what they see and feel (Knox, 2005). This is what urban design
is all about.
Ensuring a diversity of accommodation, business and infrastructure is the cornerstone of
healthy, vibrant and sustainable urban communities (Jenks, Jenks, Burgess, 2000) and this
have to be the main objective for every city.
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Appendix
General questions for the interviews
1. Do you go for shopping often?
2. Do you go for shopping alone/ with friends/ family?
3. Which part of the city do you live?
4. How often do you visit the Small Center?
5. Where are you usually shopping (Food, household stuff, clothes)?
6. How do you travel to shop (car, public transport, walk)?
7. What attracts you in the Small Center?
8. Have you heard about the shopping mall in Yerevan?
9. Have you ever been in that area?
10. Will you visit the Mall?
11. What will you go there for (shopping or viewing)?
12. How do you intend to get to the Mall (car, public transport, walk)?
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