[Sukotto]

>Just look at Tokyo ... Every major transport hub is filled with shopping and food.

They are designed that way.

New transit construction is often the result of a joint venture between a rail company and one or more shopping construction companies / real estate companies.

They work together to identify where they can profitably build a new station, with attached (or nearby) shopping + residences. Then work with financing companies to pay for the land acquisition, construction, and advertising.

[kenhwang]

Point is, they wouldn't design them that way if it didn't work or if people didn't like them. Retail works best when it's convenient. Classic American malls were not.

Cities are designed too. Why don't we design them to be desirable places to be?

[devnulloverflow]

Because in America these things are designed by zoning and the political process. What you describe in Japan sounds like the Horrors of Captialism and can't possibly be allowed in America.

(Except I suppose it does happen, since the whole point of the article is that NYC does it).