Streetscapes: Outlet urbanism in the suburbs

The Twin Cities' south metro long has played an important role in the history of shopping malls, and Twin Cities Premium Outlets (TCPO), which opened in Eagan in mid-August, may mark another milestone in the evolution of that building type. Designed by Dalpos architects of Syracuse, N.Y., and developed by Paragon Outlet Partners and Simon Properties, the largest retail developer in the country, TCPO also suggests one possible future for suburbs.

Like Bloomington's Mall of America (MOA), the country's largest mall 5 miles away, TCPO tries to compete with online shopping by creating an experience, in this case a simulated urbanism with open-air, partially covered pedestrian streets centered on a market hall and plaza.

Like any simulation, appearances can be deceiving. While TCPO looks like a fortress from afar, it feels ephemeral, with false-front towers, hollow-sounding columns, and lots of brick and stone veneer. But at least the mall gets people out of their cars and interacting on foot, a fundamental trait of urban life.

That goal has driven shopping malls from the start. Victor Gruen, architect of the nation's first enclosed mall, Southdale in nearby Edina, envisioned it as an urban-scaled pedestrian precinct at the center of a mixed-use community of housing, offices and medical facilities. Southdale finally has begun to realize that vision, nearly 60 years later, with construction of housing on some of the parking lots around the mall.

Simon Properties, owner of Southdale, has undertaken a renovation of the mall, making it more appealing as a destination. But in an era in which enclosed malls around the country are closing and few new ones have been built, we have to wonder: "Are Malls Over?" as a recent New Yorker article asked.

The TCPO offers an interesting answer to that question. It suggests that malls are not over, but have simply reinvented themselves. It reflects the trend of outlet malls moving closer to cities and going upscale to fill the gap between discount warehouse stores often located at the edges of cities and high-end enclosed malls that have suffered the most from the competition of online shopping. Also, compared with outlet malls owned elsewhere by Simon Properties, TCPO stands on about half the acreage, making it one of the densest malls of its kind in the country.

Yet TCPO also suggests that enclosed malls, except for large retail destinations like the MOA, may indeed be over. With more than 100 stores in 409,000 square feet of retail space, TCPO banks on the idea that going to one place to get discounted goods will prove more appealing than shopping for deals online. It's less like a traditional mall than a giant, brick-and-mortar version of a retail aggregator website. And it remains to be seen whether such malls can compete with the convenience and price-comparison capacity that online shopping offers.

Which reveals a quandary facing our economy and our cities. Outlet malls, with their name-brand goods offered at discount prices, reflect the economic reality of many families, trying to keep up the appearance of prosperity without the means to do so.

The same economic situation faces cities. The TCPO stands on land once occupied by Cedarvale Mall, built in 1965 and dying by the late 1980s. Wanting to replace that symbol of decline, Eagan planned a $250 million, mixed-use, walkable community and spent almost $40 million acquiring land and businesses and building infrastructure, before the recession ended those plans.

In that light, the $100 million TCPO may seem like a great outcome. It has created a walkable commercial area and about 400 construction jobs and 2,000 retail jobs with its opening. But does it make sense to invest so much public money in a retail format that may prove as vulnerable as enclosed malls to online shopping?

The answer may lie in what happens around TCPO. With structured parking and a transit station already built, the outlet mall has spurred other development, such as a 192-unit apartment building and a planned 123-room hotel, and that bodes well for the future. Even if outlet malls cannot ultimately compete with the Internet, TCPO's retail space and pedestrian streets could well serve the daily needs of the dense community growing up around it, with a greater mix of stores than the mostly apparel-oriented offerings now.

Which would make it a milestone in retail history. Shopping malls began with a vision of them as the centers of dense, diverse communities, and TCPO may someday achieve that, despite itself.

Thomas Fisher is dean of the College of Design at the University of Minnesota.