The real Gruen Transfer : enclosing the right to the city

Despite the promises of community that are entrenched in the contemporary mall’s marketing material, the shape and design of super-regional shopping centres are intertwined with power that excludes. Within this context, a key question that emerges is whether the balance between consumer and citizen can ever be established and maintained. The aim of this chapter is to outline how we can respond to the privatisation of the urban commons as witnessed through the emergence of these massive shopping malls; a privatisation that reflects acts of piracy as once open spaces are enclosed, transformed into places of potential exclusion.