If malls continue to shut down and decay over the next twenty years, someone should turn them into retirement communities for GenX and Millennials.

Rhynoplaz@lemmy.world to Showerthoughts@lemmy.world – 602 points –

Imagine apartments built into what used to be department stores, (Oh, you're JC Penny 203? I'm at Sears 106). Get those old arcades up and running. Set up meal stations at the food court. Once people actually live there, stores will start to move back in.

If I'm unable to finish my life in my own home, that doesn't sound like a terrible option.

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This isn't a too shabby of an idea. It probably won't be used but a mix of stores and homes in one building sounds great.

The idea of apartments centered around a grocery plaza has been a thing for a while. It's almost an answer, except it still requires transportation to everything else. Plus the stores tend to be higher prices to support the cost of property and because they can.

apartments centered around a grocery plaza has been a thing for a while

Do you mean like... a town?

A town is a bit more than that, but it is how towns typically began, from a central trading place and nearby settlements. Only this is a planned concrete parking lot and established chain along with fully built domiciles, already in a city/town's jurisdiction.

Only this is a planned concrete parking lot

That's where it all falls down. Mandatory parking space kills cities. The point of a centralized commercial area with residential around is that people will walk to it.

Add a metro station, a large parking garage, should work

That would be a cool place to live to me.