Katja Lierhaus

Katja Lierhaus

Upon observing both Copley Place and Prudential Center Malls, and Newbury Street, distinct differences between the two become apparent. On the first floor, the shopping centers of Copley Place and the Prudential Center have wider walkways spanning the space between the two shops on either side with small kiosks placed at a diagonal in the center of the walkways. The floor has different materials that mimick a track: a darker brick-like zigzag pattern highlights the movement that I felt I was supposed to follow. In this way, movement seems to be constricted to this ‘brick road,’ which, in one way, allows for a constant flow of people that is minimally interrupted – only once in a while by those distracted by their phone or those who stop abruptly, suddenly intrigued by a window temptation. Levels two and three also exhibit this same ‘runway-like’ design bordered by white to highlight the path of movement. The upper floors look over the first floor of the plaza, which allowed a feeling of enormity, and allow light from the glass ceiling to penetrate to the lower floors.

On Newbury Street, however, walkways are narrower and the flow of traffic is sporadic. Frustrating at times during my visit on a balmy Sunday afternoon, the narrower walkways were jammed with those leisurely strolling the span of the sidewalk and others stopping in the middle to have a quick chat. With no visual lines to constrict pedestrian traffic to a certain space, the area was more liberally utilized. There were no rules for pedestrian flow on Newbury Street. In terms of entrances and exits, paths from the sidewalk lead away from the main sidewalk to the brownstone buildings themselves. Three tiers of shops, cafes, and restaurants are visible: one could descend into the Thinking Cup, quickly enter into Georgetown Cupcakes on the same level as the sidewalk, or ascend a small set of stairs to a fashion boutique. Entrances were, however, sometimes confusing, as these stores seemed to be stacked up on one and other. Although I would always prefer the open air of Newbury Street, the shopping centers hold a certain organization that Newbury does not possess.