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Paris is a decent example of our contemporary malls. The arcade is seen as the catalyst that revolutionized the shopping experience. Like Emile Zola, this article brings into perspective the experience of the shopper in space. “The passage is a city, a world in miniature” the experience of the design is why Paris is such an idealized shopping center. These techniques are still applied today. Like the arcades in Paris, the 21st century mall is too “a center of commerce in luxury items.” Today’s malls are reinventing themselves to become mega centers like those of capital cities around the world. Destiny USA is one such example. The mall has become a new lifestyle center with amenities that supercede traditional (mall) archetypes. Destiny USA is one such project that will begin to revolutionize an entire city. The iconography of Paris as depicted in Walter Benjamin’s Arcade Project is seen in the contemporary mall. The proof is in projects like Destiny. Reminiscent of the shopping centers in Paris, the contemporary mall is exploring new art forms that will be studies eras from now. In another 75 years it will be interesting to see what role the mall plays in the urban environment and what lessons will be taken from projects like those in Paris and even Syracuse, NY.