El Paso Malls Are Community Hubs And We Need To Go Back
· NewsTalk 1290There is a word being tossed around in urban planning circles and social media threads right now: third space. It refers to any place that is not home and not work. A place where you can simply exist. Philosophers and city planners have argued for decades that these spaces are the backbone of healthy communities. Coffee shops. Libraries. Parks. The places where strangers become neighbors and neighbors become friends.
El Paso has had this the whole time. We just forgot to call it what it is.
The mall.
El Paso's Malls Were Never Really Dead
In recent weeks, life brought me back to Bassett Place more than usual. The Premiere Cinemas location there was showing Speed Racer on the big screen again and I was not going to miss a single chance to be in that theater for it. I went at different times. Morning. Afternoon. Evening. And every single time, the mall was breathing.
Teenagers roaming in little packs, laughing at something only they understood. Families sharing sweet treats at little tables near the food court. People with laptops open, earbuds in, fully locked in on whatever they were working on. Kids running toward oversized chess pieces like they were discovering something for the first time.
I thought malls had died. El Paso's malls told me otherwise.
What a Mall Actually Offers You
Think about what a mall gives you for free. Real talk, for nothing.
- Clean public restrooms
- Free Wi-Fi
- Water fountains
- Climate controlled walking paths
- A food court with enough variety to feed anyone in your crew
- A place to sit without a timer running on your visit
Many malls have even posted signage telling you exactly how many miles one full lap around the building is. They built the space for walkers. For people who just need somewhere to move, somewhere to be. That is not an accident. That is a community space wearing a retail costume.
And if you happen to be near a location like Bassett Place, add a movie theater to that list. You can catch a film and then wander over to the food court without burning gas driving across town. The amenities stack in a way that almost nothing else in a city can match.
The Shops at Solana Reminded Me Too
Not long ago I had to make a midday run to The Shops at Solana to recover a water bottle I had left behind. I was not expecting much. It was the middle of a Tuesday or something close to it.
The food court was packed. Coworkers sharing lunch. A couple of friends laughing over coffee. Moms watching their kids play. The same quiet hum of people choosing to spend their time together in a shared space without any real agenda.
That is what a third space is. And El Paso has several of them already built, already staffed, already open.
The Mall as a Community Anchor
There is something about the architecture of a mall that feels almost deliberately calming. The wide corridors. The ambient light. The way sound travels and softens. These places were designed to slow you down. To invite you in and let you stay. At a time when everything is optimized for urgency, the mall is one of the last built environments that does not rush you out the door.
That matters. Especially in a city like El Paso where the heat can make the simple act of being outside feel like a punishment for half the year. The mall offers escape without expectation.
El Paso, We Have Something Special Here
Cielo Vista Mall. Sunland Park Mall. Bassett Place. The Shops at Solana. These are not relics. They are resources. And they are full of people who already know it.
We talk a lot about what El Paso needs. More gathering spaces. More places for young people. More options for families who are not trying to spend a lot of money just to get out of the house. The answer has been standing here, air-conditioned and open, the whole time.
The mall is the third space. It always was. And El Paso's malls are still very much alive.
Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel Exhibition At Sunland Park Mall In El Paso
Take a sneak peek inside Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel Exhibition, now open at Sunland Park Mall now through January 1, 2023.
Gallery Credit: ma