RETHINKING THE FULTON MALL

摘要

The "Fresno v. Eckbo" article in December's LAM highlights a problem facing cities across the country: how to bring life back into a city's central core. As someone born and raised in Fresno, California, and a practicing landscape architect for the past 30 years, I see the Fulton Mall differently than most people. First of all, I do not consider the mall a work of art It was meant as a venue for people and commerce. There is noteworthy artwork on display on the mall, and some of the elements designed by Garrett Eckbo have visual interest, but it does not come dose to iconic status. Besides, if no one comes to the mall, what's the point of its existence? I was lucky enough to experience the mall in its heyday, when it had an established complex of stores and theaters. But the mall's vibrant period lasted less than 15 years. The suburban movie multiplexes, along with the switch from rail to air travel in the 1970s, left Fresnans with little reason to spend time downtown on the mall. Emptied of well-to-do suburbanites, the mall became a haven for the poor and the disenfranchised. The present-day perception of many Fresno residents is that the mall is not a safe place.