>>1761016>>1761019These are cherry-picked, deceptive angles. See pic. However, areas like that do exist, and those strip malls often contain small independent businesses and restaurants as well, actually more than the city because of cheaper rents and lower costs of living.
I see that you don’t like the look, and I think I understand why. It’s because in suburban America, consumption is seen as a task, i. e. You have to stop at the grocery store and the bank, so it’s designed to be quick and efficient, hop over to the grocery on the fast main road, then pop over to the bank and be home in 5 minutes. Recreation takes place in the home or in a park or community center.
In cities, recreation and consumption are inextricably linked- you go to a bar, restaurant, you go to the shopping street, that’s really all you can do for fun. Space is at a premium and rents are expensive so businesses have to maximize things like the decor and such to keep you there as long as possible and have you spending as much money as possible. This is fun but makes it so there’s less oddball businesses in the city because if you can’t pay your way, you’re out. Not to mention that having worked in the restaurant industry, a lot of these “local” restaurants in the city are owned by huge corporations, they just have a different name for each spot they own so people don’t think oh, it’s a chain, because urban residents don’t like that.
