Mall Rats - Overview

Preamble

I am unable to drive, in my middle years, have lifelong vision issues, and am trying to dt p out of my comfort zone but writing about l, if not a real place, a place that is a representative of real problems.

Why?

I am disabled, of few means, and want to try telling a story that points out not just that problems exist but that they can be fixed... Not all at once, but chipped away at to make the places we live better. I also think people respond better to stories than reading dry reports in urban planning.

Core concept Pitch

aAyoung woman from a fairly affluent family about to graduate, but to go to the collage she wants rather than the one she is told 'will be good for her's she has to win a wager involving a property that her father bought up when 2020 finished off what poor urban planning, online shopping, the 08 recession, and NIMBYs had been trying for a decade and a half chipped away at.

The twist and what turns this from dry 'giide through city planning with a viewpoint character's is that the mall itself is aware of itself, and to degrees can Indurectky influence the world within its boundaries. Through this I want to explore the nature of places from a unique perspective, and to give the audience information the viewpoint characters wouldn't know or possibly can't know.

Structure

I am going to have several things kinda weave in and out so it isn't exactly discreet steps, but I want to focus on the following:

Assessing and cleanup of a middling sized mall complex and satellite buildings on the lot (parking, theatre, etc.)

Asess what can be done the property reasonably given budget, zoning, political, and community realities.

See what can be done with the surrounding wasteland of likely run down stores and services (fast food, gas stations, mattress warehouse, etc) so that the whole area has a more unified instead of islands in a sea of asphalt.

Dealing with investment vultures wanting to do a 'quick flip's and show that it is in a community's interest to take the harder path than just plopping down another exurb in the middle vof nowhere.

Showing that any solution will be hard, but even if demolishing the existing structures is theoretically simpler, there is value in keeping as much of it as possible to promote it as destination.

Addressing public transit and any possibility of getting transit to this place that isn't just Ubers or rude shares.

What to do with a building that is technically useable but isn't being used while longer term solutions are punted around.

Dealing with local governmental nonsense and existing power structures that might be similar antagonistic because anything you do means they have to actually work instead of basking in their own privilege.

Book would end with not a glorious pie in the sky happy end, but with the first important steps done and a hard but doable path ahead.

Seeking Help

I am so beyond out of my element I don't even know what to do beyond YouTube (Adam something, not just bikes, and several other content creators have been helpful.) I have sat in on a few public meetings but... I just feel like I'm staring at a yawning abyss of unknowns that will trip me up and leave what I write feeling artificial.

Plan on doing a writeup on the main cast later.

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