In many old cities in Europe, there are narrow roads with many shops lying together along the two sides. These commercial places are not so modern and convenient as those called shopping centers in modern cities, especially the suburbs of the big cities in the United States.

Shopping centers have developed rapidly because of the shift of the population to the suburbs, the growing use of and dependence upon the automobiles and the heavy traffic in downtown areas. A shopping center is a large group of stores facing a huge central mall which may be covered, heated and air-conditioned. A shopping center is also surrounded by a parking area with space for thousands of cars.

We can buy all kinds of food and get anything we need in a shopping center. Unlike a supermarket where groceries are chiefly sold, a shopping center provides us with all services besides food. We can get our hair cut, eyes tested, clothes washed, we can book our tickets for a world tour and even enroll in special classes. Shopping centers are therefore, very convenient for customers, but they lack "the sense of closeness" as felt in older commercial centers