Journal of Planning Education and Research, Ahead of Print.
The persistence of post-COVID shopping centers arguably depends on the urban experience. However, contemporary shopping morphologies and their preparedness for urban transitions are not well understood. We tackled the research gap through a mixed-methods approach combining spatial and quantitative analysis, using a large number of shopping centers with Apple Store in the United States. Our key findings feature three “E” (experiment, experience, and emergence) s. Contemporary shopping morphologies embody various typological experiments while being geared toward the urban experience. The emergence of the urban experience in shopping centers could be stimulated in urban neighborhoods or the novel fusion between the street and town square experience.