Mall-function

Being bored going the same way, I decided to take a long different to reach my office today and I had to pass through the newly opened Phoenix Mall in Velachery. Though I had some plans of giving it a visit the earlier week, couldn't make it. So I was thinking (and also making plans) of visiting it. Then from no where certain thoughts hit me.

Phoenix Mall @ Velachery
Image Courtesy - The Hindu

Chennai has already got quite a few malls inc the good old Spencer Plaza, cozy Citi Center, adorable Ampa, enormous EA, Alsa, Abirami et al. And now a new mall; now the question arises, WHY?

This can have several answers. Approachability - Most of the malls are situated in the central / central-northern parts of Chennai and the people residing down need their own ones. Fine. Real Estate - These kind of centers surely do uplift the surroundings and increase the value of the land surrounding them, giving a good time to the real estate promoters and the kind. Good. Brand - The shopping malls and the brands associated with them surely do uplift the soul and image of the city. Great.

While pondering over the other side of the coin, we get certain other valid points too. Our state..we'll localize to our city, is already reeling over several issues - power deficit, traffic snarls, diversions due to the construction of the metro rail, bad roads at places, conditions of roads during the rainy days (not to mention the condition of Velachery during the rainy times :P; only a Chennaite would know that :D), the congested locality and few more that I may not be aware of.

Thus saying I leave my case here open.

I'm not against any kind of 'good' development. As and when a new mall is opened we almost abandon the older ones. Spencer is rotting due to lack of maintenance (this is attributed to the loss of patronage) and the Citi Center is awaiting a similar fate. And in future the others may be heading there as new ones pop up. The real need of the hour is to revamp the existing landmarks, put them into proper and regular maintenance and enhance their reachability, rather than opting for new ones.

P.S: While typing this post, alongway I planned my visit to the Phoenix Mall along with my friends, and my review about the mall coming soon ;)

Ref :
Malls can play a crucial role in urban development
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