The Bigger the Malls, The Worst
Written sometime in August 2023
In ancient Greek cities, the Agora served as their central public and civic space where they could exchange and tackle ideas, to philosophize abstract and never-before thoughts of things. It is a place of commune. Such a place gave birth to paradigm-shifting philosophies that remain relevant and even studied up to this very generation. In our country, the Philippines, it is also a public space that catered for the gathering of millions of Filipinos in expressing their profound indignation that eventually toppled the despotic Marcos regime: the EDSA. Public space is thus imperative in the whole gamut of the development of society.
The impetus of this seemingly lengthy realization is that days ago I encountered news that certain malls in Cebu City will host election precincts for scores of city barangays for the coming Barangay and SK Elections this October. This was sanctified through a memorandum of agreement between COMELEC and the said mall developers. This news concerned me.
In the not-so-distant past, when the pandemic was at its peak, malls had also catered as vaccine stations. They also became among the places to register for the now-infamous national identification card that God knows where these cards are being delivered to. I observed major government outlets are now stationed within their vicinities. Perhaps the air-conditioned setting somehow ameliorates the hot-headedness Filipinos will experience when dealing with their sluggish and unnecessarily hassle transactions. But how about parks and plazas strewn with lush looming trees? Isn’t it much better than CFC-bursting machines? It did not end there. Conventions to cultural and art exhibitions are now done within pseudo-public spaces of mall vicinities. To hear of malls as go-to convenient rendezvous places manifests the notorious mall culture in the country.
This all struck me to contemplate, “Are malls now becoming the new public spaces?”
I posit that having more and bigger malls is not a good sign of a fervent healthy country, much more for its public spaces and its people. It is not something Filipinos should be proud of when one or two of its malls are shortlisted as among the largest malls in the world. Much more to think of them as a sole factor for economic development. Hence, do not be fooled by the aesthetically pleasing and elaborative sights of high-rise and enormous malls. What I think is that all those are euphemisms for something wrong in our society.
It is also not an exaggeration to think that these places may be under the watchful surveillance and arbitrariness of mall developers and owners. They can impose rules whenever they want and whenever it is fitting. In a situation where we perceive their rules as discriminatory or unnecessary, we cannot contest them. After all, it is “private”, and it is theirs. That is a notable concern when civic-political activities crucial for our country’s fate, such as elections, are now held within malls.
Pseudo-public spaces within malls cannot replace the sanctuary a public space can provide. Certain public spaces, such as freedom parks, are designated under the law to be places where demonstrations and rallies can occur even without prior permission from the authorities; where all people of different backgrounds can leisurely take comfort without having to be enticed to spend money; where people are encouraged to converse, interact, and discourse about anything without being stifled. Can spaces within malls provide that? I cannot imagine a situation wherein popular demonstrations, just like EDSA, will unfold within a mall.
Sure, there is a myriad of public spaces outside of malls. However, it is not just enough that there are public spaces that can compete with the ever-expanding spaces malls consume. The common conditions people have to experience when therein are inhumane and seem to neglect them: a place designed with no people in mind. In other words, it is public for the sake of being public; not being public for the welfare of the public. This is among the depressing reasons why people, especially young adults, now prefer malls as rendezvous places, to seek shelter, or just mainly to loiter around. The public spaces we have are not as satisfactory as those grandiose malls have. Hence, the bigger the malls the concern that our public spaces should also be prioritized, well-taken care of, and protected amidst the expansive privatization of public spaces.
Just like the Agora of ancient Greece and the EDSA of the 1986 People Power Revolution, public space is not just a mere “space”. It also reflects collective action and the interconnectedness of the people, democracy in action. Therefore, public space has to be not just a place conveniently accessible, but also a kind of place that respects and nurtures people. Can malls provide that? Maybe, but that is in exchange for a dime, and not everyone has that, especially in our place where there is yawning disparity when it comes to socio-economic standing.
To end, Enrique Peñalosa, former mayor of Bogota famous for transforming Bogota into a people, pedestrian-oriented city, can summarize this whole point I posited:
“If the place to go for a walk and see people in a city is the mall, it is a sick city. In the best cities like Manhattan, Paris or Madrid, people go to public spaces. A city’s public space should compete with shopping malls on quality and security.”
