Community

Fulton Mall At 50: When Things Don't Go According To Plan

KVPR | By Joe Moore

Published September 2, 2014 at 12:50 PM PDT

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Fresno's Fulton Mall was once a national model for urban revitalization. But the dream for a new Fresno unraveled quickly.

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Fulton Street as seen in this photo from the early 1960's before the mall was a four lane stretch of asphalt.

Downtown Association of Fresno

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Malcom Gladwell has called Victor Gruen (center with hat) perhaps the most influential architect of the 20th century. Fresno hired the man who invented the shopping mall to remake downtown.

Downtown Association of Fresno

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Victor Gruen's vision for the Fulton Mall included sidewalk cafes and lush landscaping.

Downtown Association of Fresno

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The Fulton Mall at Tulare Street in 2009.

Valley Public Radio

Fifty years ago this month, Fresno captured national headlines by closing its main street to the automobile and opening the Fulton Mall. This six-block long pedestrian only plaza was supposed to be the centerpiece of an ambitious plan for urban renewal, and the growth of the entire region. It was supposed to save Fresno from the evils of urban decay, suburban sprawl, and air pollution. Yet the result was exactly the opposite. How and why did that happen? How did Fresno go from being a national leader in downtown revitalization, to a city that for decades has been desperately searching for answers? It's a story about what happens when things don't go according to plan.

This special radio documentary first aired on Valley Edition, September 2, 2014.