Monday, February 06, 2006

Westfield Los Angeles

It seems that in the last few years most shopping malls in the Los Angeles area have been acquired by a company called "Westfield.." In this area alone, Topanga Plaza has become Westfield Topanga, the Woodland Hills Promenade has become Westfield Promenade, and the Sherman Oaks Fashion Square has become - you guessed it - Westfield Fashion Square. With the Westield name comes a Westfield overhaul, a transformation that makes every mall a beige, upscale clone, down to the vertically mounted flat screen video screens mounted in strategic locations continuously advertising the latest movies and assorted mall products...

To be fair, Westfield has taken some tired-looking malls and made them more attractive, but when they hold so many mall properties in such a close geographical area, I think they're taking their mall formula a bit too far. There's no creativity, no tweaking of the Westfield experience to provide the visitor anything unique. Visit a Westfield mall anywhere, and experience the same look and the same stores. There doesn't seem to be even the least acknowledgement of the indivdual areas each mall reflects.

I'd hate to imagine a pre-planned community managed by Westfield - a true homogenized American community.

No comments: