Bradbury at the Mall

I have briefly blogged before on how Bradbury invented the modern shopping mall - not in a science-fictional way in one of his stories, but in a for-real way through a series of essays.

Bradbury's book Yestermorrow includes these essays, written when Bradbury was associated with the architectural company Jon Jerde Associates. Among Bradbury's innovations, none of which sound terribly startling today, were the idea that we want to get lost, and so shopping areas should have pathways that we can't see the end of, and occasional unexpected dead ends. Another is the idea that we don't go to malls to shop; we actually go to eat, and that a good shopping mall or plaza needs restaurants. Bradbury's ideas were not written just as idle fantasies, but as conceptual pieces to inspire Jerde's designs. From them, a whole generation of influential mall designs emerged, and the now ubiquitous "food court" came into being.

Dave Allen, writing in the Contra Costa Times, has discussed Bradbury's ideas further - using the occasion of an October 2010 Bradbury visit to Pomona, California as an opportunity to flag up Bradbury's earlier visits to the city, and his attempts to encourage Pomona to adopt some of his ideas for downtown regeneration. Allen's article is here, and he posted additional information, including newspaper clippings, on his blog here.

The Mall

I've discovered the existence of a documentary entitled Malls R Us, thanks to this brief report. It seems it includes a small section that references Ray Bradbury. It looks like the closest thing there is to an official website for the film is here at Icarus Films.

So what does Bradbury have to do with shopping? For a few years he was retained as a conceptual consultant by the architectural practice Jon Jerde and Associates. During this time he wrote several essays where he explored the idea of the town and the shopping experience. The essays are collected in Bradbury's book Yestermorrow.

One of Bradbury's ideas is that of "lostness": that we shouldn't be able to predict exactly what we find when we wander around a town or shopping centre; that we should occasionally find that we have taken a turn that leads to a dead end, and we should have to re-trace our steps. Another is his idea that, despite what they say, most people do not go out to shop; they actually go out to eat, and the shopping they do actually fits around the food and drink experience.

I'm no expert on architecture or shopping, but I sense the Bradbury influence in almost every modern mall I visit. How else to explain the rise of the "food court"?

I haven't yet seen Malls R Us, but I hope to get an opportunity soon.