Background: The Decline of the 20th Century Shopping Mall

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In the latter half of the 20th century, mall developers saw the value of downtown areas’ ability to intersect convenience and community and adapted it to trends in rising automobile-centered infrastructure. Malls provided suburban consumers with parking lots and space for congregating in a carefully-designed, consumer-driven retail hub that was remarkable for its time. The mall is also emblematic of the suburban youth culture, creating safe spaces for teenagers to exist, shop, and congregate.  Since their beginning, malls have served as community gathering spaces, but recent shifts to online shopping sparked by the Great Recession in 2008 have brought a decline in the commercial aspect of the mall. Malls that have survived the turnover are investing in making their shopping experiences unique - adding local businesses, art galleries, and opportunities for community engagement. Monroeville Mall is not immune to downward trends for in-person shopping exacerbated by COVID-19 - it filed for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy in November of 2020. 

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On top of Monroeville Mall’s economic decline and store closings, its environmental impact is unchecked and its inclusivity is faltering. Its immense energy consumption results in greenhouse gases entering the airshed and the impervious and slanted parking lot causes runoff pollution to enter the Turtle Creek watershed. Being a large complex surrounded by sun-reflecting concrete and little foliage, the mall has a micro heat-island effect resulting in slightly higher temperatures for its property and that of surrounding communities. As it stands today, the Monroeville Mall also encourages increased car traffic leading to car exhaust pollution as well as pollution from single-use plastic from the food court and retailers. Additionally, over the past few years, the Monroeville Mall has made headlines for violent crime, leading to increased restrictions on usage that bars people, particularly youth, out of this community asset.

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The Monroeville EcoMall - ReImagine Turtle Creek Watershed and Airshed Communities Plus (TCWAC) is a grass-roots economic and community development initiative in eastern Allegheny and western Westmoreland counties. The Monroeville EcoMall is a project that aims to re-imagine the Monroeville Mall into a community hub for sustainable business and innovation. The ReImagined Monroeville EcoMall will bring economic prosperity to the community, make space for local businesses to thrive, and promote environmental health and education. The project idealization incorporates a redesign of the mall including underused or wasted space – the roof, the parking lot, parts of the interior – to increase energy efficiency and community educational opportunities, while decreasing pollution. The EcoMall will bring about a new renaissance in the Monroeville community and its surrounding suburbs - encouraging sustainable development and lifestyle - while improving the health of the Turtle Creek Valley watershed and airshed.