ABSTRACT 
 
 
 
 
Title of Thesis: COMMUNITY CATALYST: REINVENTING 
THE URBAN SHOPPING MALL 
  
 Elisabeth Helena Erlenkotter Smith, Master of 
Architecture, 2018 
  
Thesis Directed By: Lecturer Daniel Curry, School of Architecture, 
Planning and Preservation 
 
 
Over the past decade, shopping malls across the United States have been on the 
decline, many left abandoned and deserted. However, some urban shopping 
complexes have not yet been uninhibited, due to their proximity to city centers and 
established community space. This thesis proposition aims to alter and improve the 
paradigm of the urban shopping mall by redeveloping the existing single use format. 
The community space will serve as the foundation for several different programmatic 
functions that will be inserted into an existing mall, thus serving as a uniting agent at 
the heart of the building.  
These strategies will be applied to Stamford Town Center, a shopping mall 
located in the city of Stamford, Connecticut. This thesis will evaluate the 
opportunities for refining the existing mall and propose a more sustainable place-
making solution, reinforcing this urban icon as a destination for culture and 
innovation.  
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
COMMUNITY CATALYST: REINVENTING THE URBAN SHOPPING MALL 
 
 
 
by 
 
 
Elisabeth Helena Erlenkotter Smith 
 
 
 
 
 
Thesis submitted to the Faculty of the Graduate School of the  
University of Maryland, College Park, in partial fulfillment 
of the requirements for the degree of 
Master of Architecture 
2018 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Advisory Committee: 
Lecturer Daniel Curry, Chair 
Professor Brian Kelly, Committee Member 
Professor Steven Hurtt, Committee Member 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
© Copyright by 
Elisabeth Helena Erlenkotter Smith 
2018 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
Acknowledgements 
 
First, I would like to thank my thesis committee for all of the guidance along 
this process, including my chair Daniel Curry. Next, I would like to thank my family 
for the continued support for the past 6 years of school. Without your encouragement, 
none of this would have been possible. I would also like to thank all of the 
community members of Stamford I interviewed, as your insight and information was 
crucial to understanding the issues that should be addressed in this thesis project. 
Finally, thank you to my classmates and colleagues for the support and laughs. 
ii 
 
 
 
Table of Contents 
 
Acknowledgements ................................................................................................... ii 
Table of Contents ..................................................................................................... iii 
List of Figures .......................................................................................................... iv 
Chapter 1: Introduction ............................................................................................. 1 
Chapter 2: The American Shopping Mall .................................................................. 3 
Suburban Sprawl ................................................................................................... 3 
Suburbs to Downtown ........................................................................................... 7 
The Fall of the Shopping Mall ............................................................................... 9 
The Importance of Mall Culture .......................................................................... 13 
Chapter 3: Stamford Downtown Redevelopment ..................................................... 16 
Creating a New Downtown ................................................................................. 18 
Stamford Today................................................................................................... 21 
LIVE: People & Community ............................................................................... 23 
WORK: Corporate Presence & Retail Space ........................................................ 25 
Innovation District .............................................................................................. 27 
Conclusion .......................................................................................................... 29 
Chapter 4: Anatomy of a Mall ................................................................................. 31 
The Users ............................................................................................................ 31 
Urban Scale ......................................................................................................... 32 
Exterior Failures .................................................................................................. 33 
Interior Failures ................................................................................................... 35 
Conclusions ......................................................................................................... 36 
Chapter 5:  Site & Building Analysis ....................................................................... 38 
Introduction ......................................................................................................... 38 
Transportation ..................................................................................................... 40 
Site Description ................................................................................................... 41 
Access ................................................................................................................. 44 
Competitive Landscape ....................................................................................... 47 
Building Space Analysis ...................................................................................... 48 
Chapter 6:  Precedents & Program Analysis ............................................................ 52 
MAKE: Collaborative Maker Spaces ................................................................... 57 
LEARN: Co-Learning Environments ................................................................... 59 
LIVE: Apartments ............................................................................................... 60 
Conclusions ......................................................................................................... 62 
Chapter 7: Architectural Design Response............................................................... 63 
Scheme 1: Incubator Model ................................................................................. 64 
Scheme 2: Live/Work Model ............................................................................... 66 
Scheme 3: Start-Up Model .................................................................................. 67 
Chapter 8:  Conclusions .......................................................................................... 76 
Bibliography ........................................................................................................... 79 
 
iii 
 
 
 
List of Figures 
 
Figure 1: The Garden Court in the Southdale Shopping Center Error! Bookmark not 
defined. 
Figure 2: Redrawn plan of the Southdale Shopping Mall ......... Error! Bookmark not 
defined. 
Figure 3: The Stamford Town Center parking garage ................................................ 7 
Figure 4: Retail Trends Chronology .......................................................................... 8 
Figure 5: The Rise & Decline of Enclosed Shopping Malls ..... Error! Bookmark not 
defined. 
Figure 6: Map of Stamford’s Urban Renewal Area .................................................. 16 
Figure 7: Stamford Town Center site prior to construction ...................................... 19 
Figure 8: Stamford Town Center under construction ............................................... 20 
Figure 9: Downtown Special Services District ......................................................... 24 
Figure 10: Stamford Town Center façade facing Greyrock Place ............................. 32 
Figure 11: Downtown Special Services District ....................................................... 24 
Figure 12: Location of Stamford ............................................................................. 37 
Figure 13: Location Analysis .................................................................................. 38 
Figure 14: Stamford Town Center Aerial................................................................. 38 
Figure 15: Transportation Analysis.......................................................................... 39 
Figure 16: Stamford Town Center Site Orientation .................................................. 40 
Figure 17: Diagrammatic section of Stamford Town Center .................................... 41 
Figure 18: Stamford Downtown Zoning .................................................................. 42 
Figure 19: Notable Landmarks in Stamford ............................................................. 43 
Figure 20: Pedestrian Entrances .............................................................................. 44 
Figure 21: Pedestrian and Vehicular Entrances ........................................................ 45 
Figure 22: Bus stops and bike paths......................................................................... 46 
Figure 23: Stamford Town Center retail spaces ....................................................... 47 
Figure 24: Natural Light photographs ...................................................................... 48 
Figure 25: Stamford Town Center circulation .......................................................... 49 
Figure 26: Programmatic concept diagram .............................................................. 51 
Figure 27: Floorplan and spacial diagram of CLOUD Co-Working ......................... 53 
Figure 28: Floorplan and spacial diagram of WeWork Co-Working ........................ 55 
Figure 29: Floorplan and spacial diagram of A/D/O Makerspace ............................. 57 
Figure 30: Office and Learning Space: The Factory................................................. 59 
Figure 31: Providence Arcade plans ........................................................................ 60 
Figure 32: Providence Arcade section ..................................................................... 61 
Figure 33: Program matrix ...................................................................................... 62 
Figure 34: Scheme 1 space diagram ........................................................................ 63 
Figure 35: Scheme 1 space diagram ........................................................................ 64 
Figure 36: Scheme 2 space diagram ........................................................................ 65 
Figure 37: Scheme 2 space diagram ........................................................................ 66 
Figure 38: Scheme 3 space diagram ........................................................................ 67 
Figure 39: Scheme 3 space diagram ........................................................................ 67 
Figure 40: Main Street Reconnection ...................................................................... 70 
iv 
 
 
 
 
Figure 41: Department Store Elimination ................................................................ 70 
Figure 42: Creation of East-West Site Connection ................................................... 71 
Figure 43: Creation of the Pedestrian Promenade .................................................... 72 
Figure 44: Thesis Target Intervention Sites ............................................................. 72 
Figure 45: Existing Versus Proposed Program ......................................................... 73 
Figure 46: Final Design- Floorplans ........................................................................ 74 
Figure 47: Perspective- Approach from Main Street ................................................ 75 
Figure 48: Mall Interior Perspective ........................................................................ 75 
Figure 49: New Greyrock Place Elevation ............................................................... 75 
Figure 50: Promenade Plaza Perspective ................................................................. 77 
Figure 51: Final Results Data .................................................................................. 78 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
v 
 
 
 
vi 
 
 
 
Chapter 1: Introduction 
 
For the American mall mogul, the reality is clear: rethink what it means to be a mall, 
or die.1 
       - Natasha Geiling Esri (2014) 
 
The shopping mall is a place and destination that most Americans know, and 
is a place that is rooted in our culture. The mall provides a variety of appealing offers, 
as it serves as a convenient place for people to shop at many stores in one place and 
can serve as a meeting place for people to socialize and gather. However, over the 
past several years, the shopping mall has been in decline. Little to no new malls are 
being built, and more malls are shutting down every year due to declining sales and 
aging infrastructure. The mall typology as whole has not changed since its inception 
in the 1950’s, and as a result it is not able to keep up with the ever-changing 
consumer trends, shopping habits, and shifting demographics. For mall owners, it is a 
critical time to consider the future of the shopping mall, and how these buildings can 
be updated to create a more sustainable business model. Finally, shopping malls in 
urban environments could benefit from connecting to surrounding resources, rather 
than remain an isolated entity in a larger environment. 
                                               
1 Geiling, Natasha Esri. "The Death And Rebirth of the American Mall." 
Smithsonian.com. November 25, 2014. Accessed October 22, 2017. 
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/death-and-rebirth-american-
mall-180953444/. 
1 
 
 
 
This thesis will first study the foundation and theory behind the creation of the 
first shopping malls in the U.S., while also studying the factors behind why the first 
malls began to fail. Then, this thesis will delve into examining shopping malls located 
in urban environments, including utilizing the Stamford Town Center mall as a case 
study for redesign. I will examine several different precedents and methods for 
adaptively reusing the Stamford Town Center mall, and propose several urban and 
design strategies to create a sustainable ecosystem of activity in the mall, while also 
connecting the mall to the surrounding context and reestablishing the mall as a 
destination in downtown Stamford. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
2 
 
 
 
 
Chapter 2: The American Shopping Mall 
 
“Only if we have large demands can we expect large production. Therefore...ever-
increasing consumption on the part of our people [is] … one of the prime requisites 
for prosperity. Mass consumption is essential to the success of a system of mass 
production.”2 
       - Robert R. Nathan, Economist 
Suburban Sprawl 
The post-World War II suburb is thought to have had direct influence on the 
rise of suburban shopping centers, and subsequently the establishment of the first 
shopping malls. As World War II was winding down, many economists recognized 
that a period of mass consumption was necessary to make a successful transition from 
wartime to peacetime.3 This mass consumption theory relied on an increase in 
housing construction, and to provide jobs for returning veterans. As a result, a period 
of rapid suburbanization occurred in the Unites States. The post-World War II 
explosion in housing construction increased the number of Americans owning homes 
from 44% in 1940 to 62% in 1960, the largest jump in homeownership rates ever 
recorded.4 In turn, the expansion of housing created new transportation needs for 
                                               
2 Cohen, Lizabeth. A Consumers' Republic: The Politics of Mass Consumption in 
Postwar America. New York, NY: Random House Inc., 2003. 
3 Cohen, Lizabeth. A Consumers' Republic: The Politics of Mass Consumption in 
Postwar America. New York, NY: Random House Inc., 2003. 
4 Cohen, Lizabeth. A Consumers' Republic: The Politics of Mass Consumption in 
Postwar America. New York, NY: Random House Inc., 2003. 
3 
 
 
 
homeowners as the suburban lifestyle was dependent on mobility. Thus, the boom in 
suburban construction saw an increase in the use of automobiles and the construction 
of highway systems, and an overall abandonment of public transportation.5  
The increase in the American suburban population created an entirely new 
consumer-driven culture. While many Americans were encouraged to spend less 
during World War II, the new postwar order of mass consumption deemed 
enthusiastic spenders “good citizens”.6 The newly developed suburbs required 
commercial districts to oblige the spending habits of the growing population. The 
new suburban shopping centers also provided a shopping alternative to urban 
downtowns, which most suburbanites found inconvenient.7 In a way, these new 
centers became a new form of the community marketplace. 
The first malls were built in strips along the new highways, designed to 
resemble the storefront layout of downtown commercial districts, but were easily 
accessible by car. The next phase of shopping centers sought to resolve and perfect 
the concept of downtowns, while still catering to the suburban population.8  
Eventually, the shopping mall transformed into an inward oriented building that 
offered a climate controlled space for year-round shopping.  
                                               
5 Bruegmann, Robert. Sprawl: A Compact History. Chicago, IL: University of 
Chicago Press, 2006. 
6 Cohen, Lizabeth. A Consumers' Republic: The Politics of Mass Consumption in 
Postwar America. New York, NY: Random House Inc., 2003. 
7 Cohen, Lizabeth. A Consumers' Republic: The Politics of Mass Consumption in 
Postwar America. New York, NY: Random House Inc., 2003. 
8 Bruegmann, Robert. Sprawl: A Compact History. Chicago, IL: University of 
Chicago Press, 2006. 
4 
 
 
 
The first true “shopping mall” was the Southdale Shopping Mall, built in 1954 
in Edina, Minnesota and designed by Victor Gruen. The design of the mall differed 
from previous shopping malls, as Gruen reevaluated the principles of the extroverted 
orientation, and chose to place the entire complex under one roof. The traditional 
storefronts facing outward towards streets and parking lots was replaced with an 
inward oriented plan, focusing on one central court, seen in figure 1.9 Ample parking 
was provided around the perimeter of the mall to make the space an automobile 
friendly destination. Figure 2 presents the footprint of the Southdale shopping mall. 
The interior court (1) lies at the center of the complex, with surface parking (2) 
surrounding the entire building.  
Victor Gruen’s new vision for the shopping mall typology created a climate 
controlled setting for shopping and entertainment, with all activity focused on the 
interior of the mall. Furthermore, Gruen enhanced the efficiency of the building 
layout by creating a two-story building, connected by escalators in an effort to 
prevent the long walkways found in traditional shopping centers. The design of the 
Southdale mall revolutionized the way designers thought about the shopping 
experience, and ultimately changed the way shopping malls were designed going 
forward. 
 
                                               
9 Gladwell, Malcolm. "The Terrazzo Jungle." The New Yorker, March 15, 2004. 
Accessed October 21, 2017. https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2004/03/15/the-
terrazzo-jungle?currentPage=all. 
5 
 
 
 
 
Figure 1: The Garden Court in the Southdale Shopping Center (Source: 
Minnesota Historical Society) 
 
Figure 2: Redrawn plan of the Southdale Shopping Mall (Source: Author) 
 
6 
 
 
 
Suburbs to Downtown 
“In recent years, people have become discouraged from using the ‘city core’ for 
cultural and civic gatherings.”10  
      - Victor Gruen (1960) 
 
While Victor Gruen focused his earlier career on creating a new suburban 
shopping experience, he later saw an opportunity to bring his shopping mall designs 
to the downtown. Overall, the goal was to re-create the hustle and bustle of the 
suburban shopping center, while also bringing the middle class back to the 
downtown.11 Gruen argued that the inhabitants of the anti-city “are not exactly happy 
with their lot...they have sacrificed all those things which are summarized in the term 
“urban culture”.12 As a result, many of Gruen’s proposed strategies for revitalizing 
downtown districts drew from the success of the suburban shopping center, stating 
“the lessons learned and the experience gained in the planning of regional shopping 
centers will contribute immeasurably to the successful carrying out of this task.”13 In 
order to entice the targeted suburb population, it was necessary to provide ways to 
drive and park downtown. Freeways and large parking structures were instrumental in 
creating a new downtown solution, as seen in figure 3. 
                                               
10 Hardwick, Jeffrey M. Mall Maker: Victor Gruen, Architect of an American Dream. 
Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 2010. 
11 Hardwick, Jeffrey M. Mall Maker: Victor Gruen, Architect of an American Dream. 
Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 2010. 
12 Gruen, Victor. The Heart of Our Cities: The Urban Crisis: Diagnosis and Cure. 
New York: Simon & Schuster, 1964. 
13 Cohen, Lizabeth. A Consumers' Republic: The Politics of Mass Consumption in 
Postwar America. New York, NY: Random House Inc., 2003. 
7 
 
 
 
 
Figure 3: The Stamford Town Center parking garage. The garage spans the 
entire length of the city block, providing an ample amount of parking, and 
shielding the mall from the downtown “urban blight” (Source: Jason Rearick 
via The Stamford Advocate) 
 
Gruen hoped to re-create the liveliness of a mall in the downtown setting, 
however, the solution was not as easy as simply transplanting a suburban shopping 
mall to the city center. Many developers and store owners wanted to ensure their new 
space excluded undesirable urban elements, including vagrants, prostitutes, and the 
poor.14  Careful consideration was put into the site selection of new shopping 
complexes, with the most important criteria being to identify prosperous areas to 
target the suburban middle-class clientele.  
In the late 1950’s and 1960’s, many media outlets noted that malls were 
becoming central to the nation’s culture, and by the end of the 1960’s, regional 
                                               
14 Cohen, Lizabeth. A Consumers' Republic: The Politics of Mass Consumption in 
Postwar America. New York, NY: Random House Inc., 2003. 
8 
 
 
 
shopping centers became the distinctive public space of the post war landscape.15 
Overall, people looked to the shopping mall, in both suburban and urban settings, as a 
new kind of community center. 
 
Figure 4: Retail Trends Chronology (Source: Author, Lizabeth Cohen) 
 
The Fall of the Shopping Mall 
For the American mall mogul, the reality is clear: rethink what it means to be a mall, 
or die. 
- Natasha Geiling Esri (2017) 
 
                                               
15 Cohen, Lizabeth. A Consumers' Republic: The Politics of Mass Consumption in 
Postwar America. New York, NY: Random House Inc., 2003. 
9 
 
 
 
By 1973, Americans of all ages spent more time in shopping centers than 
anywhere else, besides work, school and home.16 The success of the shopping mall 
typology continued until the 1990s. However, at the end of the 1990s, the vibrant 
culture once associated with malls started to drastically change.17 It was at this time 
that shopping malls started to show their age, as many had not been renovated since 
their initial construction. Additionally, consumer spending habits changed during this 
time, as many Americans, especially middle-class shoppers, pulled back on spending. 
The rundown buildings, and the economy, thus discouraged shoppers from going to 
malls, and turned the buildings into ghost towns.18 The changing climate in the late 
1990’s significantly contributed to the start of the downward spiral of the shopping 
mall. 
Since 2010, more than two dozen enclosed shopping malls have been closed, 
and an additional 60 are on the brink, according to Green Street Advisors.19 This 
thesis considers a “dying” shopping mall as one that has a vacancy rate of 40%. 
                                               
16 Cohen, Lizabeth. A Consumers' Republic: The Politics of Mass Consumption in 
Postwar America. New York, NY: Random House Inc., 2003. 
17 Geiling, Natasha Esri. "The Death And Rebirth of the American Mall." 
Smithsonian.com. November 25, 2014. Accessed October 22, 2017. 
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/death-and-rebirth-american-mall-
180953444/. 
18 Geiling, Natasha Esri. "The Death And Rebirth of the American Mall." 
Smithsonian.com. November 25, 2014. Accessed October 22, 2017. 
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/death-and-rebirth-american-mall-
180953444/. 
19 Schwartz, Nelson D. "The Economics (and Nostalgia) of Dead Malls." The New 
York Times. The New York Times, 03 Jan. 2015. Web. 22 Oct. 2017. 
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/04/business/the-economics-and-nostalgia-of-dead-
malls.html?_r=1 
10 
 
 
 
“Unhealthy” shopping malls are between 10 to 40% vacant, while “healthy” malls 
have a vacancy of 10% or less.20 
There are a number of other reasons that shopping malls- both urban and 
suburban- began to fail, one being the recent demographic shift in urban and suburban 
areas. Over the last decade, “new urbanism” and the migration back to city centers 
has changed the suburban culture and population altogether.  
According to Ellen Dunham Jones, professor of architecture and urban design 
at Georgia Institute of Technology, many millennials grew up in the suburbs, but now 
desire to live a more urban lifestyle.21 
                                               
20 Schwartz, Nelson D. "The Economics (and Nostalgia) of Dead Malls." The New 
York Times. The New York Times, 03 Jan. 2015. Web. 22 Oct. 2017. 
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/04/business/the-economics-and-nostalgia-of-dead-
malls.html?_r=1 
21 Inskeep, Steve. "Here's What's Becoming Of America's Dead Shopping Malls." 
Npr.org. September 10, 2014. Accessed October 22, 2017.  
http://www.npr.org/2014/09/10/347132924/heres-whats-becoming-of-americas-dead-
shopping-malls. 
11 
 
 
 
Figure 5: The Rise & Decline of Enclosed Shopping Malls in the United States 
(Source: Author, Nelson Schwartz via The New York Times) 
 
The eagerness to build so many shopping malls has led to a glut of stores 
throughout the nation. The “over-retailed” issue has made it hard for retailers to fill 
all of the available space, thus leaving a staggering quantity of vacant spaces in 
shopping malls. At 7,567 million square feet of gross leasable area, the United States 
has 40% more shopping space per capita than Canada, five times more space than the 
U.K., and 10 times more than Germany.22 
                                               
22 Thompson, Derek. "What in the World Is Causing the Retail Meltdown of 2017?" 
The Atlantic. April 10, 2017. Accessed October 23, 2017. 
https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2017/04/retail-meltdown-of-
2017/522384/. 
12 
 
 
 
Finally, the rise in online shopping has significantly impacted the health of 
shopping malls. In fact, the aging and vacancy rates of shopping malls is driving 
consumers to turn to online shopping even more. A report by Credit Suisse finds that 
as malls close, online sales will grow from 17% of retail sales today to 35% by 
2030.23  A 2016 survey of 5,000 online shoppers found, for the first time, that 
consumers bought more stuff online than they did in stores.24 
 
The Importance of Mall Culture 
“As a result, what happens to the mall may ultimately define what happens to the 
community.”25 
-Urban Land Institute (2006) 
 
Just as Victor Gruen was the pioneer in designing the first shopping mall, his 
vision was also important in changing the way customers interacted with retail stores. 
Gruen envisioned a destination where the shopping environment could entertain 
customers better than any other exhibition. In many of his designs, Gruen used visual 
surprises to entertain consumers. The theory behind the new entertainment experience 
                                               
23 Isidore, Chris. "Malls Are Doomed: 25% Will Be Gone in 5 Years." CNNMoney. 
Accessed October 29, 2017. 
http://money.cnn.com/2017/06/02/news/economy/doomed-malls/index.html. 
24 Stevens, Laura. "Survey Shows Rapid Growth in Online Shopping." The Wall 
Street Journal. June 08, 2016. Accessed November 01, 2017. 
https://www.wsj.com/articles/survey-shows-rapid-growth-in-online-shopping-
1465358582. 
25 Beyard, Michael D., Mary Beth Corrigan, Anita Kramer, Michael Pawlukiewicz, 
and Alexa Bach. "Ten Principles for Rethinking the Mall." Urban Land Institute. 
2006. Accessed November 2, 2017. https://uli.org/wp-content/uploads/ULI-
Documents/Tp_MAll.ashx_.pdf. 
13 
 
 
 
was that the more people enjoyed their time in the commercial experience, the more 
money would be spent.26 Therefore, Gruen not only designed the shopping mall for 
retail stores, but also created a “town square” in the center of the mall.27 The town 
square served as a gathering space for mall-goers, and the first mall at Southdale 
included a garden court with a fishpond and large sculpted trees. 
Originally, Victor Gruen planned for the Southdale Mall to be an important 
piece of a larger masterplan for Minneapolis. His original design placed the shopping 
center at the heart of a development including houses, apartment buildings, schools, a 
medical center, and a park.28 However, Gruen’s larger plan was never realized, and 
the mall complex & parking lot were the only elements of his design that were built. 
Gruen’s original concepts for creating shopping malls can be harnessed and 
applied to creating a solution to reinvent the mall typology. There are several 
fundamental elements of a shopping mall that can be repurposed. For example, many 
shopping malls, including Stamford Town Center, include a central “court” or 
gathering space. This centralized space was essential to create a town square within 
the retail spaces, and served as a destination within the mall. The public amenity 
space provided by the central court could be useful as a supplement to office space or 
community space. 
                                               
26 Hardwick, Jeffrey M. Mall Maker: Victor Gruen, Architect of an American Dream. 
Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 2010. 
27 Gladwell, Malcolm. "The Terrazzo Jungle." The New Yorker, March 15, 2004. 
Accessed October 21, 2017.  
28 Gladwell, Malcolm. "The Terrazzo Jungle." The New Yorker, March 15, 2004. 
Accessed October 21, 2017.  
14 
 
 
 
Next, urban shopping malls could benefit from their proximity to the 
amenities and services of a city. Cities not only provide a wide potential customer 
base for malls, but also provide the opportunity for malls to become a part of a 
network of public buildings for the community. Harnessing these opportunities for 
improvement and innovation can create a more meaningful place to fit the needs of 
the community, and serve the demands of the competitive retail market. 
   
15 
 
 
 
Chapter 3: Stamford Downtown Redevelopment 
 
 
Around the mid-1950’s, Victor Gruen set out to solve many of the issues that 
downtown cities faced. Many American downtowns, including Stamford, CT, faced 
significant developmental problems that made the areas undesirable. Since the 
1920’s, there had been little construction occurring in cities, and the existing 
buildings, especially apartments and housing had received little attention.29  
As a result of the downtown blight, planners and politicians across the U.S. 
started to focus on remaking and revitalizing downtowns. Planners and city officials 
pushed for more downtown planning, an effort that Gruen believed would be a way to 
“stimulate civic pride”.30 It was at this point that Victor Gruen remade himself into an 
urban planner, and Stamford began to reinvent its downtown district. 
 
F.D. Rich Company 
In 1960, F.D. Rich Company was selected to head downtown Stamford’s 130 
acre redevelopment.31 Downtown Stamford, like many other cities, suffered from a 
lack of upkeep and development for several decades, especially after the end of 
World War II. F.D. Rich Company in turn partnered with Victor Gruen & Associates 
in order to create a masterplan for Stamford’s redevelopment. At this point in time, 
                                               
29 Hardwick, Jeffrey M. Mall Maker: Victor Gruen, Architect of an American Dream. 
Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 2010. 
30 Hardwick, Jeffrey M. Mall Maker: Victor Gruen, Architect of an American Dream. 
Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 2010. 
31 "Urban Renewal." F.D. Rich Company. Accessed October 22, 2017. 
http://fdrich.com/urban-renewal/. 
16 
 
 
 
Victor Gruen was adept at creating large scale urban renewal plans, having worked on 
several redevelopments including one in Fort Worth, Texas.32 
 
Figure 6: Map of Stamford’s Urban Renewal Area, created by the City of 
Stamford Urban Redevelopment Commission (Source: Stamford Historical 
Society) 
                                               
32 Hardwick, Jeffrey M. Mall Maker: Victor Gruen, Architect of an American Dream. 
Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 2010. 
17 
 
 
 
Rich was chosen from among nine applicants because the others were only general 
contractors without expertise in city planning. While the partnership was eventually 
dissolved, the city approved the plans in 1963 and awarded Rich got the construction 
contract.33 
 The deal made between the City of Stamford and the F. D. Company was a 
unique agreement. The risk of creating a successful development project was placed 
squarely on Rich, sparing Stamford from additional expense. On the other hand, the 
agreement also gave Rich a virtually free hand in redesigning the city’s downtown.”34 
Consequently, the company was able to apply its vision for the downtown with little 
opposition from outside parties, including the community. 
 
Creating a New Downtown 
After F.D. Rich Company was selected as the designated redeveloper, the 
company worked with the Stamford Urban Redevelopment Commission to identify 
the new vision for downtown Stamford. One of their main goals was to make the 
downtown more business friendly. Edith Sherman, chairman of the Urban 
Redevelopment Commission from 1974 to 1984, described the downtown’s initial 
bleak state, stating ''In the 70's, downtown Stamford was a slum,'' she said. ''There 
                                               
33 Charles, Eleanor. "Stamford Acts to Humanize Downtown Renewal." The New 
York Times, December 14, 1986. Accessed November 11, 2017. 
http://www.nytimes.com/1986/12/14/realestate/stamford-acts-to-humanize-
downtown-renewal.html. 
34 Atwan, Robert, Mike Barlow, Kenneth H. Brief, William F. Buckley, Ernest A. 
DiMattia, Barry Hoffman, William Hubbell, Renee Kahn, and Don Russell. 
Stamford: 350 Years, 1641-1991. Stamford, CT: Advocate and the Ferguson Library, 
1991. 
18 
 
 
 
was no reason for companies to come here.”35 The development team concluded that 
creating a network of streets and parking was essential to creating an ideal destination 
for businesses. Robert Rich, co-owner of F.D. Rich noted “the corporations demand 
parking galore. If they are going to move from New York, they want a suburban, 
campus-like setting. And if they are coming to downtown Stamford, they want access 
by automobile and only automobile.”36 The result was a network of new office 
buildings, hotels, condominiums and a shopping mall. 
With an increase in the number of workers commuting and moving to 
downtown Stamford, planners saw new opportunities to enhance the entertainment 
and retail options in the downtown. A big-city office building boom would enhanced 
the potential for attracting downtown workers into shops.37 Therefore, the shopping 
mall, later named Stamford Town Center, would serves as a retail destination in the 
city. Additionally, developers believed that the mall could serve residents outside of 
the city center. The model of the traditional suburban shopping mall design was 
moved into the urban city, and as a result, downtown interests found a promising new 
formula for bringing white suburbanites back [into the downtown].38 Ultimately, 
                                               
35 Charles, Eleanor. "Stamford Acts to Humanize Downtown Renewal." The New 
York Times, December 14, 1986. Accessed November 11, 2017. 
http://www.nytimes.com/1986/12/14/realestate/stamford-acts-to-humanize-
downtown-renewal.html. 
36 Lueck, Thomas J. "F.D. Rich At Center of Downtown Boom." The New York 
Times. March 10, 1985. Accessed November 19, 2017. 
http://www.nytimes.com/1985/03/11/nyregion/fd-rich-at-center-of-downtown-
boom.html. 
37 Isenberg, Alison. Downtown America: a History of the Place and the People Who 
Made It. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2004. 
38 Isenberg, Alison. Downtown America: a History of the Place and the People Who 
Made It. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2004. 
19 
 
 
 
Stamford Town Center opened in 1982, and has functioned as a successful shopping 
mall since. 
 
 
Figure 7: Stamford Town Center site prior to construction (Source: The 
Stamford Historical Society) 
 
 The original redevelopment masterplan sought to bring jobs and companies 
back to downtown Stamford, while also establishing an urban mall to encourage retail 
growth. Ultimately, the masterplan became a jumping point for much of the future 
development and improvements in Stamford through today. Since the early 1970s, the 
20 
 
 
 
downtown has seen the construction of more than 8 million square feet of office 
space, 1.5 million square feet of retail space, 2,500 units of housing, several dozen 
restaurants, a branch of the University of Connecticut and many arts and 
entertainment venues.39 
 
 
Figure 8: Stamford Town Center under construction. The large parking garage 
and Macy’s anchor store (right) occupied an expansive portion of the city block.  
(Source: The Stamford Historical Society) 
Stamford Today 
 Today, Stamford has grown to become the third largest city in Connecticut, 
with the downtown serving as the heart of the city and its primary activity center. 
Looking forward, the Stamford masterplan aims to continue growing the downtown 
                                               
39 United States. City of Stamford. Land Use Bureau. Stamford Master Plan 2015-
2025. December 16, 2014. Accessed November 11, 2017. 
https://www.stamfordct.gov/sites/stamfordct/files/u358/final_draft_12.16.14_0.pdf. 
21 
 
 
 
district. This support is essential to attracting and retaining its dynamic and growing 
population of new residents and the entertainment, culture and jobs in emerging 
sectors that are bringing them to Stamford.40 
According to the 2015 master plan, Stamford’s leading growth sectors are 
retail, accommodation and food services, information services and healthcare 
services, and education. Growth in these sectors is translating into demand for retail 
and restaurants, high-tech office space, classroom and vocational training space, and 
high-quality, well located commercial  
space.41 
An important step in creating a dynamic downtown culture is creating a more 
walkable, pedestrian friendly destination. While the original urban redevelopment 
stimulated the growth of the downtown sector, many of the buildings constructed 
were not built with the community in mind. In 2002, Stamford adopted a master plan 
with the goal of creating a “vibrant, seven days a week, pedestrian friendly 
Downtown”.42 The new goals clearly showed that city planners had learned from the 
urbanistic mistake in the last boom of setting new buildings atop parking garages, 
which created a barren, fortress-like streetscape.43 Additionally, the original urban 
                                               
40 Hardwick, Jeffrey M. Mall Maker: Victor Gruen, Architect of an American Dream. 
Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 2010. 
41 United States. City of Stamford. Land Use Bureau. Stamford Master Plan 2015-
2025. December 16, 2014. Accessed November 11, 2017. 
https://www.stamfordct.gov/sites/stamfordct/files/u358/final_draft_12.16.14_0.pdf. 
42 United States. City of Stamford. Land Use Bureau. Stamford Master Plan 2015-
2025. December 16, 2014. Accessed November 11, 2017. 
https://www.stamfordct.gov/sites/stamfordct/files/u358/final_draft_12.16.14_0.pdf. 
43 Dunlop, David W. "Stamford Reinvents Its Downtown Once Again." The New 
York Times, January 5, 1997. Accessed November 11, 2017. 
22 
 
 
 
renewal in the 1970’s and 1980’s favored a separation of land uses. This division 
created a challenge for pedestrian connectivity with the various attractions and 
transportation options. Therefore, the 2015 master plan promotes an improved version 
of Stamford, where a mixed-use, transit-oriented Downtown will have a strengthened 
connection with the Stamford Transportation Center.44 
 
LIVE: People & Community 
During the city’s redevelopment, which occurred between 1980 and 2010, 
Stamford’s population steadily increased from 102,453 to 122,643, with an average 
annual growth rate of 0.6 percent, Stamford’s population gain has exceeded that of 
both Fairfield County and the State of Connecticut as a whole.45 
As of 1985, approximately 150,000 people commute into Stamford primarily 
by automobile.46 TOday, a significant amount of Stamford’s commuters now travel 
by rail, with many traveling up from New York City. According to the Metropolitan 
Transportation Authority, the number of peak-time riders from New York City to 
                                               
http://www.nytimes.com/1997/01/05/realestate/stamford-reinvents-its-downtown-
once-again.html. 
44 United States. City of Stamford. Land Use Bureau. Stamford Master Plan 2015-
2025. December 16, 2014. Accessed November 11, 2017.  
45 United States. City of Stamford. Land Use Bureau. Stamford Master Plan 2015-
2025. December 16, 2014. Accessed November 11, 2017. 
https://www.stamfordct.gov/sites/stamfordct/files/u358/final_draft_12.16.14_0.pdf. 
46 Lueck, Thomas J. "An Office Boom Transforms Once Ailing Connecticut City." 
The New York Times, March 10, 1985. Accessed November 19, 2017. 
http://www.nytimes.com/1985/03/10/nyregion/an-office-boom-transforms-once-
ailing-connecticut-city.html?pagewanted=all. 
23 
 
 
 
Stamford has increased by nearly 150% since 1990.47 Over 13.2% of Stamford’s 
workers use public transportation, up from 11.9% in 2010.48 
Many city officials and organizations have worked to make downtown 
Stamford an ideal place for new residents to live. One of these groups, the Stamford 
Downtown Special Services District (DSSD), was established in 1992 with the 
mission to manage, enhance and promote the Downtown experience.49 Over the 
years, the DSSD has introduced entertainment events, including a summer concert 
series, outdoor dining opportunities, and other amenities to lure new residents and 
visitors. As a result, downtown Stamford has become a popular place for well- 
educated millennials to live and visit. According to Sandy Goldstein, president of the 
Stamford DSSD, the downtown sector now has over 12,000 apartment units, and 
approximately 65% of them are rented by millennials.50  The increase in the 
millennial population not only brings in a college educated workforce, with a 13% 
increase between 2000 and 2010, but a financially stable one too.51 As a result, this is 
an important demographic that must be understood, especially in terms of 
redeveloping the Stamford Town Center to appeal to the downtown community and 
workforce. 
                                               
47 Prevost, Lisa. "Now Arriving: Reverse Commuters." The New York Times, August 
12, 2007. Accessed November 19, 2017. 
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/12/realestate/12wczo.html. 
48 Innovative Stamford. PDF. City of Stamford: The Stamford Partnership, June 2016. 
49 Innovative Stamford. PDF. City of Stamford: The Stamford Partnership, June 2016. 
50 Goldstein, Sandy. "The Downtown Stamford District." Telephone interview by 
author. December 6, 2017. 
51 United States. City of Stamford. Land Use Bureau. Stamford Master Plan 2015-
2025. December 16, 2014. Accessed November 11, 2017. 
https://www.stamfordct.gov/sites/stamfordct/files/u358/final_draft_12.16.14_0.pdf. 
24 
 
 
 
 
Figure 9: Downtown Special Services District, highlighted in orange. (Source: 
Author) 
 
WORK: Corporate Presence & Retail Space 
The 2015 masterplan encompasses an initiative by the Planning Board to 
make downtown the center of retailing, instead of sprawling south of Interstate 95 and 
elsewhere. Property owners in the 15-square block area controlled by the Special 
Services District.52 Currently, there is 768,000 square feet of retail space at Stamford 
                                               
52 Charles, Eleanor. "In the Region/Connecticut; Using Stamford's Master Plan to 
Steer Development." The New York Times. November 01, 2003. Accessed December 
03, 2017. http://www.nytimes.com/2003/11/02/realestate/in-the-region-connecticut-
using-stamford-s-master-plan-to-steer-development.html. 
25 
 
 
 
Town Center, and an additional 986,900 square feet on retail streets throughout the 
Downtown. The DSSD estimates that 95 percent of this retail space is occupied.53 
While the retail market in Downtown Stamford, including in the mall, has 
thrived in recent years, many city officials have recognized the need to innovate in 
order to create a sustainable market in the future. According to Dan Stolzenbach, 
General Manager of Stamford Town Center, “people are bored with the typical retail 
experience.”54 This observation is especially true for Stamford Town Center, as the 
mall has traditionally only offered retail and some dining options. Therefore, this 
thesis aims to create strategies for creating a sustainable retail market in combination 
with other functions and attractions to be incorperated in the mall. 
The corporate presence in Stamford is another important demographic that 
drives the success of the downtown district. Today, Stamford boasts more corporate 
headquarters than any other similarly sized city in North America. This includes 
companies such as NBC Sports, Indeed.Com, and GenRe.55 Additionally, Stamford is 
seeing an increase in the number of start-up and innovator companies relocating to 
the city. Consequently, the city hosts an average daytime population of over 210,000 
people.56 Many of the corporate headquarters and office spaces are located within the 
downtown district.  
 
                                               
53 United States. City of Stamford. Land Use Bureau. Stamford Master Plan 2015-
2025. December 16, 2014. Accessed November 11, 2017. 
https://www.stamfordct.gov/sites/stamfordct/files/u358/final_draft_12.16.14_0.pdf. 
54 Stolzenbach, Dan. "Stamford Town Center." Telephone interview by author. 
December 1, 2017. 
55 Innovative Stamford. PDF. City of Stamford: The Stamford Partnership, June 2016. 
56 Innovative Stamford. PDF. City of Stamford: The Stamford Partnership, June 2016. 
26 
 
 
 
Innovation District 
 In recent years, Stamford has become a model of a successful and 
prosperous city, principally through growing the downtown district. In an effort to 
encourage more innovators and entrepreneurs to move to Stamford, city officials and 
organizations drafted the “Innovative Stamford” initiative. According to Randy 
Skigen, former President of the Stamford Board of Representatives, the Innovative 
Stamford plan was created in response to the State of Connecticut’s call to spur job 
growth and innovation throughout the state.57 The result is a plan that combines 
visions and aspirations for the city into an innovation district in the heart of Stamford.  
The concept of an innovation district is one that is popping up in other major 
cities around the United States. These districts are geographic areas where leading-
edge anchor institutions and companies cluster and connect with start-ups, business 
incubators, and accelerators. They are also physically compact, transit-accessible, and 
technically-wired and offer mixed-use housing, office, and retail.58 A rising number 
of innovative firms and talented workers are choosing to congregate and co-locate in 
compact, amenity-rich enclaves in the cores of central cities.59 While Stamford offers 
an ample amount of office space, it lacks office spaces that can host a variety of 
different amenities and functions that can be tailored to the needs of innovative 
companies. 
                                               
57 Skigen, Randy. "Downtown Stamford: Insight & Innovation." Interview by author. 
November 21, 2017. 
58 Katz, Bruce, and Julie Wagner. “The Rise of Innovation Districts.” The Brookings 
Institution, 28 Sept. 2016, www.brookings.edu/essay/rise-of-innovation-districts/. 
59 Katz, Bruce, and Julie Wagner. “The Rise of Innovation Districts.” The Brookings 
Institution, 28 Sept. 2016, www.brookings.edu/essay/rise-of-innovation-districts/. 
27 
 
 
 
Stamford has chosen to focus its innovation district development in the city’s 
downtown and South End districts. These two districts will serve as the hub of 
activity dedicated to collaboration, creativity and opportunity. the plan aims to create 
a sense of place where residents can live, work, play, and learn within walking 
distance to transportation and acts as a catalyst for job, business and product creation 
as well as economic development.60  
A key proposal in the Innovative Stamford initiative is creating a collaborative 
environment between various companies to create a network of shared resources. The 
three components that will provide this ecosystem are working space, mentorship and 
capital. Within the innovative district, affordable spaces are necessary for companies 
to start, incubate, and grow.61 Next, creating a mentorship network is essential to 
propel companies from the startup phase into growth. Thomas Madden, Stamford’s 
Director of Economic Development, highlighted this aspect of the plan, stating: 
“we have people come in and start companies, but they’re not good at every 
aspect of that company. They might be good at writing code, but may not be 
good at the HR function, or the advertising function. So what we want to do is 
start up the mentorship and those resources from all the different 
1organizations around us to help out. So they’ll always have someone to rely 
on.”62 
                                               
60 Innovative Stamford. PDF. City of Stamford: The Stamford Partnership, June 2016. 
61 Innovative Stamford. PDF. City of Stamford: The Stamford Partnership, June 2016. 
62 Madden, Thomas. "City of Stamford Economic Development." Telephone 
interview by author. December 5, 2017. 
28 
 
 
 
Finally, providing access to capital will create the opportunity for companies to 
secure funds to start companies in Stamford. 
The Innovative Stamford initiative includes Stamford Town Center in its plan-
to a certain extent. The initiative states that having a physical facility focused on retail 
will provide two key economic advantages to Stamford— new boutique retail 
concepts and an additional marketing opportunity for consumer facing products 
invented throughout Connecticut. A retail incubator can significantly cut down on a 
start-up's overhead.63 While Stamford’s innovative district plan mentions Stamford 
Town Center as a component of retail incubation, this thesis proposes that the mall 
could serve as more than a destination for retail, and instead could serve as a catalyst 
for many of the ideas and proposals presented in the Innovate Stamford plan. 
 
Conclusion 
 The Stamford Town Center originated as a component of the Stamford 
downtown redevelopment to bring new retail opportunities to downtown Stamford. 
Since then, the mall has remained relatively unchanged, even as the rest of Stamford 
has grown and innovated. At a time where many people recognize that shopping 
malls must innovate and adapt to survive, Stamford Town Center has the unique 
opportunity to become a catalyst for innovation. Additionally, a reimagining of 
Stamford Town Center could align with the Innovative Stamford initiative, which 
                                               
63 Innovative Stamford. PDF. City of Stamford: The Stamford Partnership, June 2016. 
29 
 
 
 
could provide support and opportunities for the mall to fit in with the initiative’s 
visions and projects. 
 
 
30 
 
 
 
Chapter 4: Anatomy of a Mall 
 
Why are shopping malls no longer a desirable destination for consumers? 
Many of the reasons shopping malls are struggling can be attributed to architectural 
design failures. This thesis explores the changing demographic of people utilizing 
shopping malls, and also the relationship of the mall building in the urban context. 
Finally, this chapter addresses the exterior and interior failures of many urban 
shopping malls, including Stamford Town Center, and proposes potential solutions to 
mitigating these problems. 
 
The Users 
The profile of the shopping mall user has drastically changed over the past 50 
years. Throughout the 1960’s, shopping center owners competed to capture more and 
more of their white, affluent suburban market.64 Subsequently, urban shopping malls 
were designed with the intention of bringing business professionals and white middle-
class shoppers downtown. In Stamford, the shopping mall’s proximity to the I-95 
corridor was considered an essential element to draw in suburban consumers to the 
downtown area.  
Today, Stamford Town Center is focusing on attracting the new wave of 
residents moving to Stamford. Recent trends indicate that many of the City’s new 
residents will be young professionals attracted to urban living in the Downtown and 
                                               
64 Hardwick, Jeffrey M. Mall Maker: Victor Gruen, Architect of an American Dream. 
Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 2010. 
31 
 
 
 
South End.65 Additionally, the demographics of the Stamford Town Center users has 
changed, reflecting the diverse community in Stamford and the surrounding region. 
According to Dan Stolzenbach, general manager of Stamford Town Center, the mall 
has a large number of international clients, and is working to better serve this 
increasing demographic.66 
 
Urban Scale 
At the urban scale, the shopping mall exists as a large fortress that is 
disengaged from the surrounding context and community. Oftentimes, urban 
shopping malls were designed with the same principals as suburban shopping malls, 
meant to exist as a sole entity, rather than fit into the rest of the block typology or 
scale. In the case of Stamford Town Center, the mall occupies about five square 
blocks of the downtown business district, and has fronts on three major thoroughfares 
in Stamford. Consequently, the mall’s location provides the opportunity for the land 
ownership to dominate the block. Next, urban shopping malls, including Stamford 
Town Center, remain auto-oriented, often with large parking garages accompanying 
the mall. As seen in figure 10, the Stamford Town Center parking garage occupies the 
span of Greyrock Place, creating an automobile entrance that discourages pedestrian 
access.  
 
 
                                               
65 United States. City of Stamford. Land Use Bureau. Stamford Master Plan 2015-
2025. December 16, 2014. Accessed November 11, 2017. 
66 Stolzenbach, Dan. "Stamford Town Center." Telephone interview by author. 
December 1, 2017. 
32 
 
 
 
Figure 10: Stamford Town Center façade facing Greyrock Place (Source: 
Stamford Historical Society) 
 
Exterior Failures 
Most shopping malls share the same poor design features that are meant to 
shut off the mall from the outside world. First, the facades of malls are designed as 
blank walls, revealing little information about the retail ecosystem within the 
building. Stamford Town Center has received a considerable amount of criticism 
about its street presence, with one critic comparing the mall structure to a “World 
War II bunker”, and another critic stating it was the “biggest mall I ever saw is an 
inner-city fortress that should be out in a swamp.”67  
                                               
67 Charles, Eleanor. "In the Region/Connecticut; Using Stamford's Master Plan to 
Steer Development." The New York Times. November 01, 2003. Accessed December 
33 
 
 
 
Furthermore, the character-less facade makes the mall stick out from the rest 
of the streetscape and surrounding downtown, and does little to promote pedestrian 
access into the building. The approach to entering the mall can be described as “a big 
wall with a little mouse hole.”68 Originally, most mall developers refused to use the 
true outside world in any significant way, one fearing that this may encourage the 
shopper to want to leave the mall and go elsewhere.69 Stamford Town Center offered 
few pedestrian access options until 2014, when the mall demolished one of the anchor 
stores to make a public plaza with a pedestrian entrance. However, the mall still lacks 
prominent main entrances along Greyrock Place and Broad Street.  
Finally, parking was considered an essential element for creating a successful 
shopping mall. The result was the creation of vast parking lots and towering parking 
garages, and serve as the first interaction consumers experience with the mall. While 
the mall experience is meant to be an entertaining and enjoyable experience, many 
customers find the aspect of parking stressful. The parking garage at Stamford Town 
Center is especially troublesome, as it has a vast amount of square footage, with some 
areas containing 7 stories of parking space. The result is a confusing maze of parking 
for consumers to navigate. One could drive around the building several times without 
arriving at a true main entrance to the mall. 
 
 
                                               
03, 2017. http://www.nytimes.com/2003/11/02/realestate/in-the-region-connecticut-
using-stamford-s-master-plan-to-steer-development.html. 
68 Underhill, Paco. The Call of the Mall. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2004. Print. 
69 Moss, Mark. Shopping As An Entertainment Experience. Lanham, MD: Lexington, 
2007. 
34 
 
 
 
Interior Failures 
Just as the shopping mall exterior boasts many design issues, the interior of 
the shopping mall demonstrates several design problems that need to be addressed. 
As malls aim to shut out the blight and influences from penetrating the mall, the 
inward orientation of the buildings cuts off the users from the outside. This design 
strategy can be seen in the planning of Stamford Town Center. As described by Jack 
Condlin, a former director of the Stamford Urban Redevelopment Commission, 
“wholesale demolition was replaced by buildings of an introverted design - not to 
flow to the rest of downtown.”70 
 Orienting oneself inside a shopping mall, especially one as large as Stamford 
Town Center, also presents an issue for users. Being lost is stressful, and the stress is 
exacerbated in a mall. As a result, effective wayfinding is essential to creating an 
enjoyable shopping experience within the mall. Shoppers negotiate spaces better if 
they have fixed points to guide them, like “Shoes over here” or “Escalator there.”71 
 Finally, many shopping malls suffer from monotonous interiors, both in terms 
of space and available commodities.  Enclosed malls are homogenized and boring, 
and fail to spark intrigue or even pause.72 In fact, the interior streets were designed to 
with the premise that we customers should wander, and that the longer they hold us 
the more money we’ll spend.73 Consequently, creating visually stimulating spaces 
                                               
70 Charles, Eleanor. "Stamford Acts to Humanize Downtown Renewal." The New 
York Times, December 14, 1986. Accessed November 11, 2017. 
http://www.nytimes.com/1986/12/14/realestate/stamford-acts-to-humanize-
downtown-renewal.html. 
71 Underhill, Paco. The Call of the Mall. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2004. Print. 
72 Underhill, Paco. The Call of the Mall. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2004. Print. 
73 Underhill, Paco. The Call of the Mall. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2004. Print. 
35 
 
 
 
was not factored as highly as encouraging consumers to wander within the walls of 
the shopping center. 
 While most malls contain some sort of food court, the mall in general is 
designed as a single use facility focused on retail. The single use factor limits the use 
of the mall to shopping focused, and draws away from creating a place for gathering 
and community. 
 
Conclusions 
It is evident that the user of the shopping mall has changed over the past 50 
years, but malls themselves have not innovated to keep up with trends and market 
demands. As a result, many malls cannot afford to exist within such outdated 
framework. To solve this issue, this thesis proposes several design solutions that aim 
to help shopping malls create a sustainable typology for the 21st century. 
 First, malls need to diversify their programmatic functions to provide 
customers with a wide range of uses in one destination.  “Shopping centers need to be 
about place, experience, and convenience,” says David Chilinski, AIA, Partner with 
architectural firm Prellwitz Chilinski Associates.74 Implementing more experience-
based functions in mall settings can help draw in millennial age consumers. Hybrid 
malls or variations on the traditional covered mall have proven to be both successful 
and resilient. These outdoor arcade-like structures harness the appeal of traditional 
                                               
74 Caulfield, John. "5 Ingredients of Successful Mall Design." Building Design 
Construction. May 26, 2015. Accessed December 03, 2017. 
https://www.bdcnetwork.com/5-ingredients-successful-mall-design. 
36 
 
 
 
pedestrian areas with the glamour and prestige of history. When they are successful, 
they draw urban dwellers, tourists, and visitors from the suburbs.75 
 Malls would also benefit from improving communal and community space 
within the boundaries, an improvement that could potentially draw more customers 
and community members to the building. According to Dan Stolzenbach, Stamford 
Town Center already serves as a downtown cultural destination in Stamford. 
However, this opportunity could be better executed if the mall were easier to access 
from the pedestrian level, and from public transportation. 
Finally, humanizing the exterior of the mall is an important step to 
encouraging a more inviting spirit with the mall. In Stamford, many stores have 
demonstrated their understanding of the importance of pedestrians, and have taken 
steps to create a more pedestrian friendly street presence. For example, several stores 
including Target installed street level windows and facades that are designed to be 
compatible with surrounding structures.76 Maintaining access to the street level, while 
also blending into the surrounding city context has been beneficial for business. 
 
 
                                               
75 Moss, Mark. Shopping As An Entertainment Experience. Lanham, MD: Lexington, 
2007. 
76 Charles, Eleanor. "In the Region/Connecticut; Using Stamford's Master Plan to 
Steer Development." The New York Times. November 01, 2003. Accessed December 
03, 2017. http://www.nytimes.com/2003/11/02/realestate/in-the-region-connecticut-
using-stamford-s-master-plan-to-steer-development.html. 
37 
 
 
 
Chapter 5:  Site & Building Analysis 
 
Introduction 
This chapter will explore Stamford Town Center’s physical presence within 
the urban context of Downtown Stamford. The building is located at 100 Greyrock 
Place, and has a street presence on Broad Street and Tresser Boulevard. Stamford is 
located in Fairfield County in Connecticut, and has direct connections to Westchester 
County to the north, and Long Island Sound to the south. The city is approximately 
55 minutes from New York City, 50 minutes from New Haven, and 90 minutes from 
Hartford, the state’s capital. As of 2014, the population of Stamford 
 
Figure 12: Location of Stamford in the State of Connecticut. (Source: Author) 
 
38 
 
 
 
is 122,643 people. The city belongs to the Stamford-Norwalk-Bridgeport metro area, 
which a part of the greater New York Metro area. 
 
 
Figure 13: Location Analysis (Source: Author) 
 
 
 
Figure 14: Stamford Town Center Aerial (Source: Google Earth) 
39 
 
 
 
Transportation 
There are several transportation thoroughfares that run through Stamford. 
First, I-95 and the Merritt Parkway, two major highways, connect the city to 
surrounding cities and towns. Additionally, the Metro North New Haven line has a 
stop in Stamford, which is the second most popular stop on the line after Grand 
Central Station, with over 2 million boardings per year77. This Amtrak also connects 
the city to the rest of the cities, such as Boston and Washington DC, on the northeast 
corridor metro line. Stamford Town Center is located two blocks north of I-95, and 
about ½ a mile from the Stamford Train Station stop (Figure 4). These two modes of 
transportation are vital to Downtown Stamford and Stamford Town Center, as they 
deliver visitors and commuters directly into the downtown district. 
 
Figure 15: Transportation Analysis (Source: Author) 
                                               
77 "Stamford Town Center." Stamford Town Center | Taubman Properties | Taubman. 
Accessed December 13, 2017. http://www.taubman.com/taubman-
properties/stamford-town-center/. 
 
40 
 
 
 
Site Description 
Stamford Town Center was opened in 1982, and was built on a site that 
previously hosted the Main Street business and retail district. Consequently, the 
mall’s city block bisects Main Street, as seen in Figure 5.  
 
 
  
 
 
Figure 16: Stamford Town Center Site Orientation (Source: Author) 
 
 
The 853,000 square foot shopping center has three anchor store sites and 
approximately 130 interior tenant spaces and restaurants. The gross leasable area of 
the mall is 762,000 square feet, and the mall tenant space totals 439,000 square feet. 
The mall also includes seven floors of parking, including three levels of parking 
underground, and three levels of roof parking (Figure X). 
41 
 
 
 
 
Figure 17: Diagrammatic Section of Stamford Town Center, showing the various 
levels of parking below and above the mall. (Source: Taubaum Inc) 
 
 Stamford Town Center occupies the largest city block in the greater 
Downtown Special Services District, sitting on 11 acres of the city block. Adjacent to 
the mall is the Landmark Square office tower, an iconic building in the downtown. 
Additionally, there are several other street level retail spaces and Veteran’s Memorial 
Park. The Downtown Stamford district hosts a mix of residential, commercial/office 
space, civic buildings, entertainment venues and retail options (Figure X). At the 
moment, the mall is the largest generator of retail commerce in the district and the 
city as a whole.  
 
 
 
 
 
 
42 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Figure 18: Stamford Downtown Special Services District Zoning 
43 
 
 
 
 
Figure 19: Notable Landmarks in Stamford (Source: Author) 
 
Access 
The downtown district has become a more walkable community over the 
years, achieved in part through many planning efforts by the city. While the overall 
walkability score of Stamford is 54, the downtown district walkability score is 95, 
reinforcing the district as a pedestrian oriented location.78  
In recent years, efforts have been made to make Stamford Town Center more 
pedestrian friendly, including the addition of the “plaza” on the south side of the mall. 
The plaza was built in 2007, replacing the Filene’s anchor store after the company left 
the mall for financial reasons. The result was a new front entrance for pedestrian and 
vehicular traffic. There are three additional street level pedestrian access points into 
the mall. First, there is an entrance on Greyrock Place that provides elevator access to 
the retail levels. Next, there are two entrances on Broad Street: one entrance leads 
                                               
78 "Stamford Neighborhoods on Walk Score." Walk Score. Accessed December 13, 
2017. https://www.walkscore.com/CT/Stamford. 
44 
 
 
 
into the Macy’s department store, as seen in figure 20. Another entrance is through 
the Bowtie Cinemas Theater attached to the mall, as seen in figure 20. Finally, the 
mall has an entrance into the Sak’s Off Fifth department store, accessed through 
Veteran’s Memorial Park (Figure 20). 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Figure 20: Pedestrian entrances to Stamford Town Center (clockwise from top 
left) Macy’s entrance, Bowtie Cinemas entrance, Plaza entrance, Greyrock Place 
entrance (Source: Author) 
 
The design of Stamford Town Center was oriented towards the automobile, 
and thus provides ample parking for customers. Currently, the mall has 3,645 parking 
spots.  
 
45 
 
 
 
 
 
Figure 21: Pedestrian and vehicular access to Stamford Town Center (Source: 
Author) 
 
The Stamford Town Center site can also be accessed by public transportation 
and by bicycle. Currently there are 5 bus stops adjacent to the mall, and several 
located throughout the rest of the city block. The busses provide connections to other 
spots in the downtown district and the rest of the city, the Stamford Train station, and 
other local cities, including White Plains and Bridgeport. The most popular bus stop 
is on the corner of Broad Street and Greyrock Place, where 6 different bus lines stop. 
 In recent years, Stamford has made efforts to make its streets more bike 
friendly. The downtown district does not have dedicated bike lanes, but has sharrows. 
The sharrows are visual markers painted in the lane to indicate that it is a shared 
traffic lane. Additionally, the city has several bike racks and storage spaces 
throughout the downtown. However, there is only one bike rack on the Stamford 
Town Center site, located in Veteran’s Memorial Park.  
46 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Figure 22: Bus stops and bike paths near the Stamford Town Center site. 
(Source: Author) 
 
Competitive Landscape 
Stamford Town Center competes with other shopping centers in the region, 
including several malls that offer high end retail options. The Westchester Mall, 
located 15 miles away in White Plains, NY, is the closest mall to Stamford Town 
Center.  Additionally, there are two other regional malls in Fairfield County, 
including the Westfield Trumbull Mall 29 miles northeast, and the Danbury Fair Mall 
30 miles north. 
In the coming years, another regional mall will be constructed in nearby 
Norwalk, a city 9.5 miles northeast from Stamford. The new mall is projected to 
appeal to appeal to the same high end customers as the Westchester Mall. However, it 
47 
 
 
 
is expected that the Norwalk mall will also pull shoppers from the malls in Stamford, 
Danbury and Trumbull.79 
 
Building Space Analysis 
The mall is comprised of a mixture of 3 anchor department stores, retail 
stores, restaurant spaces and a central court that serves as a communal space in the 
center of the mall (Figure 23). The central court is also one of the few locations in the 
mall that brings in natural light to the mall interior, provided by skylights. (Figure 
24). 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Figure 23: Stamford Town Center retail spaces. (Source: Author) 
                                               
79 Kapner, Suzanne. "Big Mall Operator Does the Unthinkable-Builds a Mall." The 
Wall Street Journal. October 24, 2017. Accessed December 15, 2017. 
https://www.wsj.com/articles/big-mall-operator-bets-that-america-needs-a-new-mall-
1508842802. 
48 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Figure 24: Natural light, provided by skylights, in the central core of Stamford 
Town Center. (Source: Author) 
 
 The existing mall has an intricate network of circulation spaces, both for 
public use and for servicing the retail tenants. There are four main loading docks, one 
solely dedicated to the Macy’s anchor store. The primary loading spaces are on the 
west side of the building (figure 25). Zones of service elevators connect the loading 
docks at street level with the shopping floors, levels four and five.  
 
 
49 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Figure 25: Stamford Town Center circulation. (Source: Author) 
 
The interior circulation of the mall was designed to keep the customers inside 
the mall, and limit the number of exits to the outside world. There are three main 
zones of public circulation- one at the north end of the mall near Macy’s, one core in 
the central court space, and one zone at the south end of the building near Barnes & 
Noble and H&M (Figure 23). 
 
 
 
50 
 
 
 
Conclusions 
 Stamford Town Center has ample opportunities to become more connected to 
the surrounding urban context. Creating more connectivity and access to the building 
will integrate the building with other amenities and businesses in Downtown 
Stamford, but can also provide better access for customers wishing to visit the mall.  
 Addressing the transportation options and access to the mall is one significant 
factor that could improve connections to the mall. Moving forward, this thesis 
proposes that the mall should shift its focus from accommodating vehicular traffic, to 
creating a better public transit oriented place. At the moment, the mall has an 
overabundance of space for parking, but does little to incentivize visitors to utilize the 
various public transportation options that are available in Stamford. 
 
51 
 
 
 
Chapter 6:  Precedents & Program Analysis 
 
The current model for the traditional shopping mall creates a single use 
facility, which has proven to be problem over the past few years. This model is not 
sustainable, as it fails to adapt mall spaces to fit in with the surrounding context. As a 
result, consumers are abandoning malls for other retail experience options. 
This thesis proposes that a shopping mall can create an array of ecosystems 
meant to not only enhance the retail experience, but provide the space and means for 
other programmatic functions to coexists and share resources. This chapter will 
present several programmatic options for creating an innovative ecosystem. Analysis 
of the various synergies between programs will lead the investigation into appropriate 
and sustainable site program. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
Figure 26: Programmatic concept diagram (Source: Author) 
 
52 
 
 
 
WORK: Co-Working Offices 
Providing collaborative office space for new start-up businesses can be 
essential to creating an innovative ecosystem. This thesis will investigate the co-
working office model, an emerging office typology that is becoming popular 
throughout the U.S., especially in urban environments. Co-working space has become 
increasingly popular over the past decade, especially with the millennial generation. 
The space itself is defined as membership-based workspaces where diverse groups of 
freelancers, remote workers, and other independent professionals work together in a 
shared, communal setting.80  
While co-working spaces can appeal to professionals of many different 
demographics, trends have shown that this office typology is very popular among the 
millennial generation. Several polls have confirmed that millennials want a “fun and 
social” workplace, flexible work hours and place value on lifestyle and traveling. 
They are less interested in buying property, but are willing to spend money on 
experiences and events. Increased mobility and the rise of the sharing economy are 
not only changing the way younger generations live, work and travel but also 
transforming our physical environment.81 Consequently, co-working spaces offer a 
                                               
80 Spreitzer, Gretchen, Peter Bacevice, and Lyndon Garrett. "Why People Thrive in 
Coworking Spaces." Harvard Business Review. August 06, 2015. Accessed 
December 10, 2017. https://hbr.org/2015/05/why-people-thrive-in-coworking-spaces. 
81 Grozdanic, Lidija. "How Coworking and Coliving are Redefining Space as a 
Service." ArchDaily. April 14, 2016. Accessed November 28, 2017. 
https://www.archdaily.com/785550/how-coworking-and-coliving-are-redefining-
space-as-a-service. 
 
53 
 
 
 
flexible and dynamic environment for businesses and millennial professionals to 
innovate. 
The first co-working precedent is the CLOUD Co-working Space, located in 
Barcelona, Spain. The office has 8000 square feet, and offers a network of open and 
private office spaces, shared conference and meeting spaces, and a large communal 
amenity space. 
 
 
 
 
54 
 
 
 
   Figure 27: Floorplan and spacial diagram of the CLOUD Co-working Space in 
Barcelona, Spain (Source: Author) 
 
Next, the WeWork Dallas, Texas office serves as an example of co-working 
space applied at a larger, corporate scale. WeWork provides co-working offices in 
several locations across the United States. The Dallas office totals 25,000 square feet 
of office space. 
 
 
55 
 
 
 
 
 
   Figure 28: Floorplan and spacial diagram of the WeWork Co-working Space 
in Dallas, Texas (Source: Author, WeWork) 
In the United States the average employee needs between 60–100 square feet 
of office. The typical executive’s office is around 150 square feet — the typical CEO’s 
office is around 400 square feet. However, at WeWork the individual office is just 36 
square feet — a third of what is typically provided to an employee of a standard office 
building.82 
 Currently, there are a few co-working offices in Stamford, and city officials 
plan to encourage companies set up co-working offices to meet the goals of the 
Innovative Stamford initiative. As there are no co-working offices in Downtown 
Stamford, the Stamford Town Center could serve as a prime location for this 
collaborative office model. 
                                               
82 Muse, Alexander. "Is WeWork a good deal for startups? – Startup Muse – 
Medium." Medium. October 21, 2016. Accessed November 28, 2017. 
https://medium.com/startup-muse/is-wework-a-good-deal-for-startups-
171b89ed4453. 
56 
 
 
 
MAKE: Collaborative Maker Spaces 
“Makerspaces”, or shared workshop spaces, are another space typology 
that fosters collaboration and sharing between individuals. The makerspace model 
was created in response to the maker movement, a term used for independent 
inventors and designers.83 According to industry professionals, when individuals 
across the globe — and workers across industries — are given the opportunity to 
contribute to and revise manufacturing processes, power dynamics shift and people 
are empowered to create.84 
 The A/D/O makerspace, located in Brooklyn, NY, provides a collaborative 
working and showcase environment for the creative community. The complex, which 
was an adaptive reuse project of an old warehouse building, combines workshop 
spaces, a restaurant, and a retail store for selling inventions. These functions are 
                                               
83 Lee, Christopher. "How makers democratize the manufacturing industry." Mic. 
December 14, 2017. Accessed December 15, 2017. 
https://mic.com/articles/186760/how-makers-democratize-the-manufacturing-
industry#.QEJVLW6Ai. 
84 Lee, Christopher. "How makers democratize the manufacturing industry." Mic. 
December 14, 2017. Accessed December 15, 2017. 
https://mic.com/articles/186760/how-makers-democratize-the-manufacturing-
industry#.QEJVLW6Ai. 
57 
 
 
 
connected by a communal presentation space (figure X). The program space is 23,000 
square feet. 
 
 
 
 
 
   Figure 29: Floorplan and spacial diagram of the A/D/O Makerspace in 
Brooklyn, New York (Source: ArchDaily, Author) 
58 
 
 
 
 
LEARN: Co-Learning Environments 
 Education and mentorship, especially for professionals and businesses, is an 
important component of the Innovative Stamford plan. One of the fundamental goals 
of the plan is to provide access to a mentor network to help businesses start and grow. 
The co-learning model could provide the space and opportunities for fostering 
mentorship within businesses. 
 Co-learning spaces often borrow the model of the co-working office space to 
provide shared and open workspace. This typology is relatively new and still 
developing, but is emerging in the professional and academic worlds. The demand for 
co-learning spaces was born out of the emerging need for students and professionals 
to learn several different skills sets in order to remain competitive and innovate in 
their respective fields. For example, the Detroit City Study was established in Detroit 
to work with the University of Michigan to conduct research and share skills among 
students participating in research. The co-learning space is meant to operate as a 
collaborative workplace for place-based research with a direct pipeline toward public 
pedagogy, engaging urban researchers, students and community members.85 
 In the business community The Factory, a combined co-working and co-
learning, serves to integrate shared working space with learning opportunities for 
professionals (Figure X). The Factory is located in Grand Rapids, MI, and offers 
gathering areas, conference rooms, and a learning center in addition to office space. 
                                               
85 Bolster, Lucas. "About." Detroit City Study. Accessed December 15, 2017. 
http://www.detroitcitystudy.org/about/. 
59 
 
 
 
The Factory also offers 12 week instructional classes in various technology and 
design subjects, such as product design, UX design, and introduction to 
programming.86 
 
 
 
 
Figure 30: Office and learning space offered at the co-working and learning 
facility The Factory (Source: The Factory) 
LIVE: Apartments 
 Introducing opportunities to create a live/work environment at Stamford Town 
Center could provide professionals to live in close proximity to their workspace and 
the downtown Stamford district. One instance of integrating apartments within a retail 
mall occurs in the Providence Arcade mall, located in Providence, Rhode Island. 
                                               
86 "Work The Factory." The Factory. Accessed December 15, 2017. 
http://workthefactory.com/colearning/. 
60 
 
 
 
Designers were able to adaptively reuse the struggling mall to include micro 
apartments on the top two levels of the mall, while keeping retail stores on the ground 
floor (Figure X). In recent years, micro apartments have grown in popularity in recent 
years as more people cram into urban areas and housing prices escalate.87 
 
 
Figure 31: Analysis of the Providence Arcade mall adaptive reuse project. 
(Source: Curbed)88 
                                               
87 Berger, Chris. "America's First Shopping Mall is Now Stuffed With Micro 
Homes." Curbed. August 29, 2014. Accessed December 15, 2017. 
88 Berger, Chris. "America's First Shopping Mall is Now Stuffed With Micro 
Homes." Curbed. August 29, 2014. Accessed December 15, 2017. 
https://www.curbed.com/2014/8/29/10054364/americas-first-shopping-mall-is-now-
stuffed-with-micro-homes. 
 
61 
 
 
 
 
 
Figure 32: Analysis of the Providence Arcade mall adaptive reuse project. 
(Source: Curbed)89 
 In recent years, Stamford has seen a boom in apartment development in the 
downtown district. City officials estimate that approximately 95% of these apartments 
are occupied, which speaks to the demand for living opportunities in Downtown 
Stamford. 
Conclusions 
 There are several emerging typologies that could bring new businesses and 
innovative spaces to Stamford Town Center. A common denominator among these 
program functions is a community oriented space that could serve the individual 
function itself, or the larger community network.  
                                               
89 Berger, Chris. "America's First Shopping Mall is Now Stuffed With Micro 
Homes." Curbed. August 29, 2014. Accessed December 15, 2017. 
https://www.curbed.com/2014/8/29/10054364/americas-first-shopping-mall-is-now-
stuffed-with-micro-homes. 
 
62 
 
 
 
Chapter 7: Architectural Design Response 
 
An essential first step in determining program options is to understand the 
needs of each typology. The program matrix (Figure X) starts to evaluate the needs of 
the different spaces found in the program typology. Therefore, the matrix can be used 
to determine how the program can fit into the various spaces in Stamford Town 
Center. 
 
Figure 33: Program Matrix (Source: Author) 
 
   
63 
 
 
 
Scheme 1: Incubator Model 
 
 The first design scheme proposes creating a collaborative ecosystem for 
businesses and innovators. The office, maker space and learning environments then 
can feed into the retail spaces in the mall, allowing businesses to create, make and sell 
products all in one atmosphere.  
 
 
 
Figure 34: Scheme 1 space diagram. (Source: Author) 
 
64 
 
 
 
 
 
Figure 35: Scheme 1 space diagram. (Source: Author) 
 
 
This scheme responds to many of the goals in the Innovative Stamford 
initiative, as it provides opportunity for innovation and collaboration directly in the 
downtown district. Additionally, this scheme helps to better integrate Stamford Town 
Center into the bigger vision of the innovate plan. 
65 
 
 
 
 
Scheme 2: Live/Work Model 
 The second design scheme proposes a live-work model that could appeal to 
both businesses and professionals moving to Stamford. The residential development 
addresses Downtown Stamford’s continued need for housing. While the residences 
could be market rate apartments that cater to professionals, they could also be 
affordable housing units. 
 
 
Figure 36: Scheme 2 space diagram. (Source: Author) 
 
66 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Figure 37: Scheme 2 space diagram. (Source: Author) 
 
Scheme 3: Start-Up Model 
 The third design scheme is modeled after The Factory, as it combines a 
working and learning environment for start-up businesses. The scheme also 
reintroduces the residential component to the mall, as seen in the Providence Arcade 
precedent. Finally, the scheme addresses the Innovative Stamford’s goals of attracting 
start-up companies to the city, and providing mentorship opportunities for these 
companies and businesses. 
 
67 
 
 
 
 
 
Figure 38: Scheme 3 space diagram. (Source: Author) 
 
 
 
Figure 39: Scheme 3 space diagram. 
(Source: Author) 
 
 
 
68 
 
 
 
Scheme Selection 
 
 Based on the scope of this thesis, a combination of the above schemes will 
bring together the right elements to make an ecosystem of innovation within the new 
design of the mall. The coworking element will serve to bring flexible and adaptable 
working space for new innovative businesses, and can be reconfigured over time. The 
coworking space will supplemented by maker space and learning space. As a result, 
workers can have the opportunity to make and test out products and ideas, while also 
having space available to learn new skills and marketable ideas. Finally, retail space 
will occupy the ground floor of the mall footprint, with part of it being dedicated to 
creating a food market for the downtown residents and users of the mall. 
 
Urban Design Solutions 
  
 One of the most important goals of this thesis project is to reconnect the 
Stamford Town Center shopping mall with the surrounding context of downtown 
Stamford. Therefore, it was important to investigate how this connection between the 
building and the city could be made with a few urban design interventions. Before the 
mall was built in the 1980’s, Main Street ran through the site to connect the west and 
the eastern portions of the city. However, this connection was severed once the mall 
was built, creating a huge blockage in the center of the city. As a result, one of the 
main urban interventions was to recreate this connection at the pedestrian level by 
carving out part of Stamford Town Center (figure 40). In order to foster this 
69 
 
 
 
connection, it was decided that the existing Saks Fifth Avenue Department store 
would be eliminated (figure 41). 
 
Figure 40: Main Street Reconnection (Source: Author) 
Figure 41: Department Store Elimination (Source: Author) 
 
 
 
 
 
 
70 
 
 
 
Figure 42: Creation of East-West Site Connection (Source: Author) 
 
 
Creating an opening in the mall would now allow for a series of urban edges to be 
implemented to break up the huge superblock created by the original mall (figure 42). 
Subsequently, this east-west connection was designed into a pedestrian promenade, 
cementing the connection as one that benefits residents of the city, while also 
providing greater access into the mall (figure 43). 
 
Figure 43: Creation of the Pedestrian Promenade (Source: Author) 
 
Architectural Design Approach 
 After creating greater access into the mall, and identifying the new programs 
that would be implemented into the building’s ecosystem, a series of design 
approaches were taken to redesign the Stamford Town Center mall. In conquering the 
project, four target intervention areas were identified, including redesign the Macy’s 
71 
 
 
 
Department Store, redesigning the Greyrock Place Streetscape, reimagining the 
Veteran’s Park space, and reprogramming the body of the shopping mall (figure 44). 
 
Figure 44: Thesis target intervention sites (Source: Author, Google Earth) 
 
 One of the first approaches to redesign the mall was to eliminate the 
compartmentalized stores that existed on the second and third floor of the building to 
create a more flexible layout. Therefore, many of the interior walls were eliminated, 
and the building was stripped down to the existing structural system. This structural 
grid would later be utilized to allocate space for the different programmatic functions. 
Next, the ground floor of the mall needed to be reconfigured to bring retail stores 
down to the street level. Therefore, 80% of the ground floor parking was eliminated 
to allow for retail spaces to face the new pedestrian promenade and the new Greyrock 
Place Streetscape. It was decided that the three parking levels on the top floors of the 
mall were to remain in place, as it provided a solution for parking for the new 
72 
 
 
 
residents and users of the site, and was located in a place that would not interfere with 
the urban design. 
 
Figure 45: Existing Versus Proposed Program Breakdown (Source: Author) 
 
Design Solution 
The final design solution for Stamford Town Center creates a pedestrian promenade 
on the ground level of the building, while also providing ample spaces for all of the 
programmatic insertions throughout the building. On the ground level, a 75 foot wide 
walking promenade is created to make an inviting retail street. In addition to the new 
retail stores that line the promenade and Greyrock Place, the food market is located 
on the ground floor of the Macy’s Department Store. Finally, a new mixed use 
building was added onto the Veteran’s Park site, in order to emphasize the form of the 
promenade, and further foster the connection into the mall. The new building has 
retail spaces on the ground floor, and 5 levels of market rate apartments on the upper 
floors (figure 46). The approach from Main Street to the new mixed use building and 
pedestrian promenade can be seen in figure 47. 
73 
 
 
 
 
Figure 46: Final Design- Floorplans (Source: Author) 
 
 
Figure 47: Perspective- Approach from Main Street (Source: Author) 
 
Inside the mall, the interior street creates an inviting and warm atmosphere that is 
lined with stores. The upper levels of the atrium allow for light into the coworking 
spaces on the upper levels, and views from the offices out into the retail street (figure 
48).  
74 
 
 
 
 
Figure 48: Mall Interior Perspective (Source: Author) 
 
Finally, the Greyrock Place elevation was redesigned to break down the “wall like” 
existing façade. The new design allows for more light and fenestration into the 
building, and brings the building down to the human scale at the pedestrian level 
(figure 49). 
 
Figure 49: New Greyrock Place Elevation (Source: Author) 
 
 
 
75 
 
 
 
Chapter 8:  Conclusions 
 
With many shopping malls projected to fail within the next 10-20 years, it is 
imperative to address this emerging issue. By addressing the mall’s single use design 
and inward orientation, there are opportunities to reinvent urban shopping malls into a 
vibrant asset within the surrounding community.   
The goal of this thesis was to take a traditional mall, namely Stamford Town 
Center, and redesign the mall to create a sustainable ecosystem that will bring more 
people and innovative businesses to the downtown, while also creating a true town 
center in the heart of Stamford. Creating sustainable, walkable and connected spaces 
within the urban environment were important objectives to achieve throughout the 
design process, as these principles can combat the unattractive qualities of the current 
mall design. 
The final design concept brings together the activities of work, eat, live, make, 
and learn, all within the body of the existing mall. The architecture of the mall would 
be stripped down to create a more flexible plan that can be adapted over time to 
different uses and markets. These components not only create the sustainable 
ecosystem that this thesis originally sought to create, but also creates a new draw for 
the residents of downtown center to walk to. Additionally, the new design brings a 
higher density of people to the site, which helps contribute to sustaining the 
ecosystem of happenings created within and around the mall (Figure 51).  
76 
 
 
 
One “activity” that could be added to this mix is the concept of play or adding 
more entertainment features to the new mall design. This could further increase the 
appeal of the shopping mall and bring in new target audiences to the site. 
While the existing conditions of the Stamford Town Center mall are 
somewhat unique to the location and building, many of the strategies and design 
interventions could be applied to other shopping malls that exist in urban contexts. 
 
Figure 50: Promenade Plaza Perspective (Source: Author) 
 
 
 
77 
 
 
 
 
Figure 51: Final data results (Source: Author) 
 
 
 
 
78 
 
 
 
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81