Hannah Byrne

Hannah Byrne

The malls and Newbury Street perform similar functions in notably different ways. While the malls are very clearly highly designed and decorated (with patterns on the walls, floors and ceilings), Newbury Street has rustic and authentic infrastructure, with some modifications that create a commercial space. For example, the streets are exceptionally clean and fairly even. There are trees at regular intervals which have lights on them and this adds to the feel that the area has been somewhat contrived to create a commercial space. While the malls have central areas for people to stop and sit, Newbury street does not have any seating areas and so the pavement itself is mainly for people to pass the shops and see what is available. The malls are somewhat more exclusive due to being physically enclosed with rotating doors on all the entrances. While Newbury Street is not physically a closed space, it still feels quite exclusive due to the high-end shops and clear signs of wealth. While both the malls and the street use posters for advertising, the malls had the posters all over the outside of the shops and the street had them only stuck in some of the windows or on little signs outside the front. The street’s advertising was more subtle. The mall had designated green areas and then street had the trees, as well as some bushes in front of some of the shops. However, while people were able to sit in the green areas in the malls, they were not able to do so on the street and so they functioned in different ways.