Beirut’s old souk turned mall - The Urbanist 188 | Monocle

The Urbanist

Let’s hit the mall

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21 May 2015

Episode 188

26 minutes

From arcades to American-style malls, shopping centres are where you can find everything under one roof. But these – usually gigantic – buildings are not always welcome. This week we head to Beirut and discover an old souk turned mall and revisit the history of Europe’s first covered shopping centre. We also meet this week’s Urban Hero, who is trying to save Istanbul’s historic Yedikule Gardens.

21 May 2015

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Chapter 1

7 minutes

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Chapter 1

Beirut’s old souk turned mall

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For centuries Beirut’s old market, the souk, was the heart of the city but civil war left the area in ruins. In the postwar years private real estate company Solidere turned the ancient souk into a modern shopping district. Our contributor in the city, Imogen Kimber, brings us this report.

7 minutes

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Beirut’s old souk turned mall

Chapter 2

6 minutes

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Chapter 2

How to plan a good shopping centre?

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If done well a shopping centre can be a beneficial addition to any city. So how do we make sure we get it right? Eric Hallquist, director of landscape architecture at design and planning firm AECOM, tells us what makes a good example and how he tackles such projects.

6 minutes

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How to plan a good shopping centre?

Chapter 3

5 minutes

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Chapter 3

Elephant and Castle

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In 1965 Europe’s first covered shopping mall opened here in London, at the Elephant and Castle traffic hub. Urban historian Mike Althorpe talks us through the architectural white elephant.

5 minutes

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Elephant and Castle

Chapter 4

6 minutes

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Chapter 4

Urban heroes: Slow Food Turkey

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We meet food activists Defne Koryurek and Alen Mevlat, who are fighting to preserve the iconic 1,500-year-old Yedikule Gardens, outside Istanbul’s Byzantine Walls.

6 minutes

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Urban heroes: Slow Food Turkey

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