Always alert to mentions of Vancouver, I saw this in Amsterdam-based Protocity:
One of the most contentious debates in the urban realm is the provision of public space. Many cities struggle to establish sufficient space for people to gather and meet, such as Phoenix and Vancouver, while other cities, such as San Francisco or Rotterdam, have designed public spaces that fail to live up to the visions that architects and planners had for them.
And then:
… there is one hub for gathering that is little discussed by urbanists: the mall.
… something curious is happening in the malls of Hong Kong. Rather than scaring off people that simply want to meet, walk, and talk, Hong Kong’s malls have given rise to the city’s own take on the passeggiata: a Hong Kong mall is never simply a space to buy, but provides the space to see and be seen by peers. When you make a plan to meet with a local, you will, in all likelihood, meet at one of the city’s dozens of malls scattered across all of the territory’s urbanised districts.
Protocity then provides a good historical survey of the malls.
From Chungking Mansion, 1961:
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Mei Foo Sun Chuen, 1973
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New Town Plaza, 1982
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Times Square, 1994
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Enterprise Square 5, 2007
Wow! I’m flattered that you featured my article and my photography on one of my favourite blows about my hometown.
If you have any questions about these fascinating ‘public’ spaces, feel free to ask away.
Interesting to see both Phoenix and Vancouver mentioned in the same sentence, especially in the same ‘negative’ context. But it is 100% true, both lack genuine public gathering space, but the state legislature (for protests) and Margaret Hance Park (or parades/festivals) are decent proxies in Phoenix.