Can new malls 'regenerate' an old area?
Browsing through the PR write-up for Sunway Velocity, one of the points brought up was that the surrounding area of Jln Pudu and Jln Peel (Peel Road - I have fond memories as my mum used to teach at the Peel Road Convent and I used to hang out there, playing on the grounds while she finished up marking books before we went home) was a little 'run down' as it were and the developer said that the project would revitalise the whole area.
So that got me thinking - is that true?
First equivalent that comes to mind is the Kenanga Mall - sad to say, the surrounding area has not gentrified in any way or form. However, it must be said that the mall itself acts more like a wholesaler's mall - so the traffic there is made up of retailers going there to buy stock. It's purely business, so they are not going to hang around and spend on other stuff in the area.
Next, Ampang Point - the shop lots around the complex were built first, and the area was dead for a long time until the mall was completed. Slowly, traffic started to build up and now the place is a parking nightmare! LOL which is a good thing, of course.
Berjaya Times Square - the shops immediately behind did seem to spruce up a little bit.
Viva Home - once the old UE3 was refurbished and rebranded, the mall itself began to do rather decently. It is still fairly quiet but with the cinema and eateries, there is sufficient foot traffic coming in from across the road. However, I don't see the shops immediately behind it benefiting in any way. Still pretty grotty and sleazy, unfortunately.
Interestingly, in Melawati - the old shops near the upcoming office building are being gentrified. There is even an Espresso Lab outlet now and gradually, the older businesses are making way for hip bakeries and cafes. However, you DON'T see that happening to the shops next to the upcoming Melawati Mall.
The pattern emerges - the size of the mall itself and its tenant mix will determine if the surrounding areas will benefit.
A small-ish mall like Ampang Point complements the surround area, thus everybody benefits. Similar examples: the Atria in Damansara Jaya, Cheras Leisure Mall in Tmn Segar. They do not "overpower" the area but acts as an anchor and magnet without overshadowing their neighbours.
A larger mall like Viva doesn't benefit the surroundings at all because the foot traffic won't bother to step out of the building to check out the other shops! Berjaya did help a little but the area behind it was fairly popular with the local residents long before the mall came up anyway.
Office buildings obviously aid the surrounding shops - like Damansara Uptown and what we're seeing now in Melawati.
So back to the original question, will Sunway Velocity help revitalise the surrounding area? My guess is NO.
Because it is going to be huge in its own right and pretty much self-contained. The residents and visitors would not have any reason to walk out and cross the road to patronise any shops outside the mall. The regulars will continue to go to the old shops and eating places (can't really call them restaurants but they are indeed delicious!) but don't expect new influx of customers.
Hence, that was just a PR fluff piece to make buyers feel good But It Ain't Gonna Happen.
So that got me thinking - is that true?
First equivalent that comes to mind is the Kenanga Mall - sad to say, the surrounding area has not gentrified in any way or form. However, it must be said that the mall itself acts more like a wholesaler's mall - so the traffic there is made up of retailers going there to buy stock. It's purely business, so they are not going to hang around and spend on other stuff in the area.
Next, Ampang Point - the shop lots around the complex were built first, and the area was dead for a long time until the mall was completed. Slowly, traffic started to build up and now the place is a parking nightmare! LOL which is a good thing, of course.
Berjaya Times Square - the shops immediately behind did seem to spruce up a little bit.
Viva Home - once the old UE3 was refurbished and rebranded, the mall itself began to do rather decently. It is still fairly quiet but with the cinema and eateries, there is sufficient foot traffic coming in from across the road. However, I don't see the shops immediately behind it benefiting in any way. Still pretty grotty and sleazy, unfortunately.
Interestingly, in Melawati - the old shops near the upcoming office building are being gentrified. There is even an Espresso Lab outlet now and gradually, the older businesses are making way for hip bakeries and cafes. However, you DON'T see that happening to the shops next to the upcoming Melawati Mall.
The pattern emerges - the size of the mall itself and its tenant mix will determine if the surrounding areas will benefit.
A small-ish mall like Ampang Point complements the surround area, thus everybody benefits. Similar examples: the Atria in Damansara Jaya, Cheras Leisure Mall in Tmn Segar. They do not "overpower" the area but acts as an anchor and magnet without overshadowing their neighbours.
A larger mall like Viva doesn't benefit the surroundings at all because the foot traffic won't bother to step out of the building to check out the other shops! Berjaya did help a little but the area behind it was fairly popular with the local residents long before the mall came up anyway.
Office buildings obviously aid the surrounding shops - like Damansara Uptown and what we're seeing now in Melawati.
So back to the original question, will Sunway Velocity help revitalise the surrounding area? My guess is NO.
Because it is going to be huge in its own right and pretty much self-contained. The residents and visitors would not have any reason to walk out and cross the road to patronise any shops outside the mall. The regulars will continue to go to the old shops and eating places (can't really call them restaurants but they are indeed delicious!) but don't expect new influx of customers.
Hence, that was just a PR fluff piece to make buyers feel good But It Ain't Gonna Happen.
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