Begin by generating a class list of stores typically found in a shopping center or mall. Challenge students to group stores into general categories, such as women's clothing, food service, and so on. Ask students which types of stores seem to be most prevalent and least prevalent at a mall.
Discuss the word lease. What does it mean? (For rent or hire.) Why are leases important to shopping center or mall operators? The International Council of Shopping Centers recommends that malls allocate a certain percent of the total square footage of leasable retail space using the following guidelines:
- women's clothing: 25%
- men's clothing: 10%
- food: 15%
- service (salons, etc.): 5%
- shoes: 10%
- jewelry: 3%
- family items: 7%
- gifts: 17%
Note that the International Council only recommends space allotments and does not recommend specific allocations for all 100 percent of the space within a
mall. Ask students why they think this is.
To review the concept of percents, it may be helpful to distribute a 10 × 10 grid to each student. Students can then shade each of the above types of stores on the grid to show how much space should be allotted for each type of store.
Encourage students to conduct some research at the mall or shopping center closest to where they live. For a homework assignment, ask them to list all the stores in the mall and to place each into one of the International
Council's categories listed above. Alternatively, students can find this information on individual shopping mall websites. Draw the students' attention to the fact that the recommendations were made in 1985. Ask students, "How have malls changed since then?" What problems might those changes pose for students in their task?
When all lists have been compiled, ask students to share their data and justify the placement of specific stores within each category. Where did they place stores such as clothing stores? A bank? A pharmacy? A video store? Ask them to find the total number of stores at the mall, the number of stores in each category, and the percent of each type of store listed. How does the local mall's space allocation compare with the International Council's recommendations?
Tell students that they can lease space within a new mall. Distribute the Shops at the Mall activity sheet to each student.
After students have completed the first two items, encourage them to share their results and strategies. Some may use proportional reasoning, calculate with fractions, or use
calculators.
Organize students into groups of two or three for the final activity. Distribute centimeter graph paper to each group to use when creating the scale drawing of the mall. Before beginning the activity, discuss the criteria for mall design in item 3 on the activity sheet. After all drawings are complete, encourage each group to share its plan along with a justification for each element. The plans can be compared with, and contrasted against, the criteria provided as well as the International Council's recommendations.
