| The purpose of this thesis is to take a step towards updating the existing literature on pedestrian malls and to provide an overview of the efforts in the field and changes in approaches that have been used, in an effort to prepare a comprehensive work that has practical as well as theoretical value. This thesis considers the evolution of planning theory and practice regarding pedestrian areas in the West and outlines positive and negative aspects of existing pedestrian-only or pedestrian-oriented areas in the West, taking into account social, economic, environmental, and design issues.; The second part of this thesis consists of a case study of the Santa Monica pedestrian mall. This case is particularly interesting because the original mall was a complete failure. Subsequently, the mall was completely redesigned and became a nationally recognized success. In this thesis, the processes this mall went through is described in order to find out what changed after the redevelopment. The thesis tests the various hypotheses set forth in the literature against the reality of Santa Monica. It also compares the concepts expressed in the literature with the concepts that were behind the design of the mall. Such analyses might benefit other cities that have unsuccessful downtown malls, or that are currently considering creating a pedestrian mall. |
