Flaneur's Diary: Phoenix
Swapmeet and Mall
I visited two different shopping sites from the Phoenix metro area in order to compare them. First I visited Scottsdale Quarter, a very upscale mall located in Scottsdale, a rich suburban town from the Phoenix metro area. I also visited Phoenix Park’N Swap, a low-end shopping swapmeet located near the city of Phoenix . Although they do have a few things in common, the differences between these two shopping sites couldn’t be more noticeable. Both sites are huge spaces, very lively and full of people, which offer a large variety of products and services. However, the way that these are displayed and the public to which they are offered are complete opposites.
Scottsdale Quarter is a mall, but it is designed as an open space. The way that it is constructed made me feel as if it is integrated in the town of Scottsdale. “City streets” cut between the many different buildings and the areas that comprise the mall are located right next to apartment buildings. Phoenix Park’N Swap, on the other hand, consists of a large enclosed space, with an entrance and with a covering roof, where small stands are organized in a grid pattern. Both sites possess ample parking space, something that seemed like a necessity in Scottsdale Quarter, as it was swamped with luxury cars. Park’N Swap was also much more accessible by public transportation, as it is located close to a light rail stop.
The impression and the energy that each one of else sites evoked in me was also extremely different. Scottsdale Quarter seemed to me like a “bubble of privilege”, where every single little detail looked perfect, from the alignment of the palm trees with the buildings, to the soft pop music playing in the outdoor speakers, to all the floral decorations and the million tiny white bulbs that seemed to cover every single inch of the trees and streetlights alike. Everything there looked so pretty and organized, and it was so well taken care of that it made me feel as if I wasn’t in the desert anymore, as green vegetation and water fountains surrounded me everywhere I went. Overall, I could tell that the place oozed with money.
Being in Park’N Swap was a complete opposite experience. It was chaotic and lively, as people filled the place with their presence and with different noises, conversations, screams of delight and music competing from several stands at the same time. The interactions between the people and the setting of the site seemed to me much more organic and much more real than it was at Scottsdale Quarter. Park’N Swap lacked the quietness and the prettiness of Scottsdale Quarter. The site seemed to me to have a practical purpose, never an aesthetic one. Overall, the place had a humble and pragmatic atmosphere, which made me feel more at home.
The different kinds of people that I saw in each site was also very contrasting. In Scottsdale Quarter the ethnicity was overwhelmingly white, while in Phoenix Park’N Swap the great majority was people of color, seemingly of Central or South American descent. Also, in Scottsdale Quarter most people were of middle age, strolling either alone or in couples, with the exception of a few children that were walking alongside their parents. In Phoenix Park’N Swap, on the other hand, I could observe people of all ages shopping, most of the time as a family. The apparent difference of class was also very noticeable to me from the beginning, as in Scottsdale Quarter all people seemed to be at least of a middle or upper class, while in Park’N Swap people seemed to be part of a working class.
