Mallville - the town of the future.

OK, it's COLD outside (17 degrees F with 30 mph winds). Don't get me wrong, I like living in New England. But it can get cold. So I got to thinking - Why not have a residential component to the traditional shopping mall? Simply replace some of the stores with condos and apartments. Take a closer look at the picture - I just  drew this up quickly to help visualize what it might look like. As you can see, you really only need to go outside once in a while or when you really want to. There are opportunities for shopping, social interaction, recreation, church, even a park to sit in the sun - all within a climate-controlled space. It's sort of like putting a roof over a couple of blocks of a city. I don't know why no-one has thought of it before! BTW, the idea of a church in a mall is not original. The North Shore Mall, in Peabody, MA has a Catholic church in the basement level. At the time it was built, it was an open mall (the center was not enclosed), and I guess the designers envisioned it as the new town square, complete with church. Maybe it's time to bring the church back to the mall - and maybe more aspects to life than just shopping.