Pop(o)s of shopping centre - a new approach towards urban design

Abstract

The constant decline in the number of public space and the attendant emergence of pseudopublic spaces with limited access occur simultaneously with the aggression of commercial culture and the emergence of cultural spectacle. Shopping centres provide physical spaces for social activities, and increasingly they have been replacing all aspects of urban life. Nowadays it is becoming an alternative centre in the city with its own “public space”. With the creation of places for public, cultural and recreational events, and above all, places for leisure and socialization, shopping centres have become more than a “commercial city”. According to various authors, the quality of POP(o)S has been called into question, and even though it usually suggests a negative phenomenon, this paper focuses on its advantages and possibilities. Paper also investigates the ways to use privately owned public spaces, with special focus on open spaces, plazas, and atrios owned by shopping centres. Paper presents three case studies: Ušće shopping centre in Belgrade, Rajićeva shopping centre in Belgrade and Manufaktura shopping centre in Lodz. With the comparison of the above mentioned, the aim is to recognize different patterns of use of POP(o)S in correlation to the model of the built structure. New urban design strategy should provide integration of different civic functions, in order to create a new type of public realm, which would improve the connectivity and usability of surrounding public spaces and urban environment. The aim of the paper is to present that carefully located and well-integrated shopping centers can contribute to the circulation of activities and people, thus to the preservation of city values and promotion of public life. However, question how could one consider private space as public space remains.