What we're reading: Rethinking zombie malls

Shopping malls, that onetime centerpiece of American consumer life, are dying off across the country. But what if rather than tearing them down, they could be repurposed into new, verdant community hubs?

• That's the argument put forth by architecture critic Alexandra Lange in a compelling New York Times op-ed.

"Ground cleared and buildings constructed for one kind of community benefit — shopping — could be reduced, reused and recycled to serve a broader and greener community purpose, with pedestrian open space as part of a mix of public uses," Lange writes.