The Columbus City Center is schedule to be taken apart and transformed into a green space beginning this July. "Capitol South announced a plan in February to replace the failed mall with Columbus Commons, which will open as a 9-acre park in late 2010 and evolve over the next decade into a new retail center that also has homes and office space." -Columbus Dispatch, Mall set to come down in Summer
The blog, Unplanned U.S. outlines the main reasons the 20 year old mall failed to survive: "Unfortunately the suburban-style design, with very few connections to the surrounding neighborhood, hastened its demise."
Is is a good thing to tear down a mall that is structurally sound and relatively young in age? While the plan to add a greenspace in the downtown area is appealing, who is going to utilize this area? Columbus' downtown area is vacant after the workday and unless entertainment and easy access come along with this greenspace, I fear it may go to the wayside as well.