Circulation Dynamics to Improve Commercial Activity in a Mega Mall

The 'one-day-shopping' concept that we experience today in a modern mega mall changed the propensity to consume compared to the past. The idea of a mega mall originated in the U.S. and the first suburban shopping malls as we know them today were built in the 1950s. The convenience of these malls had a great impact not only on consumers but also on the retail industry in general and the new mega mall idea has since spread around the world, with the largest ones located in China and Southeast Asia. Meanwhile, Korea had the fastest-growing economy during the last three decades and with that boom the compositional structure of domestic retail facilities became extremely diverse. Today, there are 36 new mega mall development plans to be completed before 2016, which represent a rapid and dynamic change in consumerism lifestyle in Korea. In this regard, this study will re-evaluate the first mega mall in Korea, the COEX Mall, and identify initial errors regarding its circulation plan and provide an ideal design strategy for future commercial mega malls based on literature review and comparison analysis.