Why I should be Living at Idaho’s Magic Valley Mall

I could live at the mall.  A few years ago I wrote a piece about the Magic Valley Mall and said if some of the space became housing, I would enjoy walking to the food court when hungry.  It would also be a great place to go for a walk without getting wet or cold.  Locally, the mall looks healthy.  I went to a craft store on a Saturday afternoon a couple of years ago and the place was mobbed.  I bought a map of the United States for my sister’s classroom.  The mall is still the place to go if you want to see a movie and there are plenty of food choices inside or nearby.

This isn’t always the case nationally.  Malls in many places are struggling.  Not so much because of changing shopping habits, though.  Online buying has changed the marketplace.  It’s because many big department stores have downsized or closed.  Just keep in mind, you can’t try on pants you buy on Amazon until after purchase.

In some parts of the country, old malls have been demolished.  I don’t understand the approach.  While we’ve got a glut of office space, we lack housing.  Which gets me back to living at the mall.

By some definitions, I’m a senior citizen.  If the mall contained a food court and a pharmacy, it would be a safe place to navigate daily life.  Or safer than some neighborhoods.  A little creative thinking about mixed-use and enclosed spaces could solve some future challenges.