Don’t know about that.. There have always been dead and dying malls. I have watched personally malls reinvent themselves to serve higher end markets as demographics changed and watched thriving malls become weekend swap meets etc.
There is little doubt too many malls exist in some regions, middle class is getting squeezed,and social norms are changing. Face it in the 80s the mall was where the kids hung out... Not that some don’t still today but the mall today is not remotely the social hub it was.
I walk through the mall and marvel at how many clothing retailers are there, and how many of them I know from their sec filings are struggling.. It’s not hard to see why. Intense competition for the youthful buyer who’s tastes change significantly every few years. The days of having Ambercombie on your shirt has gone from a status symbol to something to be despised etc etc.
there is little doubt that the malls status is generally falling and without general demographic growth the impact would be even greater than it is in the general fall from grace. They will always be with us but the number of malls per capita is going to shrink
I refer you to posts 12, 16 and 43.