UNVEILING THE SEDUCTION OF THE OLD SUBURBAN MALL AND THEIR INFLUENCE IN THE CITY

Abstract

The emergence of the first suburban shopping malls in the 1970s to the early 1980s was pivotal in Singapore retail history. They were able to offer the consumer a brand new retail experience through the introduction of a cool, clean and convenient environment in a single building, located in the vicinity of their home. These suburban shopping malls were a novelty back then, as they proved to be very exciting and vibrant retail and social centers. However today, these first-generation suburban malls in Singapore are now seen as old, unexciting and irrelevant, in comparison with the newer shopping malls in the city, which have evolved in size and variety in goods and services over time.

This paper tests the hypothesis that the suburban shopping malls built in the 1970s to early 1980s still hold significant relevance in the city today in face of the new retail trends and changes. It investigates the histories of three suburban shopping malls in Singapore, tracing their birth, decline and revitalization. The three selected old suburban malls are: Katong Shopping Centre, Bukit Timah Plaza and Thomson Plaza. A study of their historical evolution will contribute to the understanding of the beginnings of novelty of the mall and the lesser known of Singapore’s urban history: the extent of the suburban shopping mall’s influence on the development of its suburban area. Hence, this paper will prove the above hypothesis true, highlighting that the changes and adaptions of these malls happened because they had allowed the external influences in their respective neighbourhoods to influence the workings of their interiors, and ultimately resulting in the development of a mall identity that is uniquely theirs.