As placemaking has become perhaps the essential element in creating value in today’s retail environment, can older shopping centers legitimately compete? The answer is a resounding yes, as outdated shopping centers from coast to coast have been reborn through updated graphics, lighting, signage, landscaping improvements and minor architectural updates—all of which have served to increase consumer traffic and convince shoppers to stay longer and spend more. The question is why? If most of us inherently see things such as wall murals, new landscaping and improved signage as decoration, why do these elements attract shoppers in sufficiently high numbers to transform