Shopping centres and sustainability: the localisation of consumerism in community life

This paper examines the conjunction of commodity consumption with social life in suburban Sydney, Australia through a focus on major shopping centre development. It briefly traces the history of consumer culture, before turning its attention to the the emergence of the shopping centre as an historical form. Using case studies, it examines the way that these highly commercialised sites came to form central hubs of community activity in Sydney during the post-war period. By sketching the history of this process it offers some insight into the way that commodity consumption has become so central to our everyday lives, and why changing our consumer lifestyles requires more than just a change of sentiment, and must consider the infrastructure and environment in which we live, work and shop.