"THE BAZAAR EXPERIENCE AND ITS FUTURE IN THE KARACHI OF TODAY" - By Sana Mahfooz - Indus Valley School of Art and Architecture 2013
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“THE BAZAAR EXPERIENCE AND ITS FUTURE
IN THE KARACHI OF TODAY”
By
Sana Mahfooz
Indus Valley School of Art and Architecture
2013
The Bazaar Experience and its Future in the Karachi of Today
By
Sana Mahfooz
This Thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of BACHELOR
OF COMMUNICATION DESIGN, from Indus Valley School of Art and Architecture.
Internal Advisor : Gemma Sharpe
Mona Wyne
External Advisor :
DEPARTMENT OF INTERIOR DESIGN
Acknowledgements
My sincere gratitude to my Supervisor, Mona Wyne. I am extremely grateful for her
expert, sincere and valuable supervision and encouragement extended towards me. I also thank
Gemma Sharpe for her constant guidance and support.
I take this opportunity to document my sincere thanks to all the faculty members of the
department for their help and encouragement. I also thank my parents and my siblings for their
unceasing confidence in my abilities and support.
I would also like to thank one and all who were directly and indirectly supportive to me
for this venture.
Abstract
This dissertation studies the basic premise of bazaars and malls in order to determine the
importance of bazaars in our history, culture, and society. It talks about the popularity of malls
compared to bazaars in order to deduce a trend in the attitude of the masses. This will in turn
help predict the future of bazaars in Karachi and what must be done in order to revive the bazaar
culture. The primary research conducted is both quantitative and qualitative, while the secondary
research consists of books, article, and websites. I believe that bazaars are an important part of
the fabric of our society and so need to be preserved. It would be a tragedy if malls started to
replace bazaars in the hearts and minds of the people.
Contents
Acknowledgements
Abstract
Contents
Introduction 1-5
Literature Review 6-13
Analyzing a Bazaar 6-9
Categories of Bazaars 7-8
Periodic Bazaar 7
Urban Bazaar 8
Local Bazaar 8
Layout of a Bazaar 9
Analyzing a Mall 9-11
The Shop Itself 10
The Shopping Environment 10-11
The Scale of a Mall 11
Comparing a Bazaar and a Mall in terms of Interaction between the Buyer
and the Seller 11-13
The Essence of a Shopping Environment 13
Research Methodology 14-17
Findings and Analysis 18-29
Response to Bazaars 18-20
Response to Malls 20-23
Which is More Popular – Bazaars or Malls 23-29
Conclusion 30-31
Bibliography 32-34 List of Figures 35 Appendices: 36-52 Survey 1 – Sample 36-39 Survey 1 – Tabulated Results 40-45 Survey 2 – Sample 46-48 Survey 2 – Tabulated Results 49-52
Introduction
‘Shopping is defined as “looking at, pricing, or buying merchandise displayed for
sale”.’1 But it is a lot more than just that. It is an experience, one that can either delight us or turn
us away in discontentment. In Karachi, this experience is provided by two different kinds of
module, namely the bazaar and the mall.
The tradition of a bazaar first started when the major trade routes, such as the Silk Road,
were being developed in the east. They were built along the routes in the form of rest houses,
where traders could stop for the night without fear of bandits. Known as a khan, the rest house
had ‘shops and stores, mills, bakeries and tea houses, even baths and mosques… Archeologists
uncovered the oldest remains of a pre-Islamic bazaar in Dura-Europos on the bank of the
Euphrates in the east of what is now Syria.’ 2
The bazaars of Karachi are more than just a place where goods are purchased and sold.
They are a warren of unique sights, sounds and smells. As one wanders from one path to another,
they come across wondrous objects they might not have seen otherwise. This is the true beauty
of a bazaar: the wonder of discovery.
In Karachi, we see both bazaars and malls, and sometimes a mixture of the two
philosophies. There are no set rules for a bazaar. It could have no specific boundary or entry
point, or have multiple entrances and exits. It is a maze of lanes and passages which lead from
1
Richard M. Bennett, ‘Planning Shopping Centers for Pedestrians’, Stores and Shopping Centers, ed. James S.
Hornbeck, (New York: McGraw-Hill, 1962), p 92.
2
Walter M. Weiss and Kurt-Michael Westermann, The Bazaar: Markets and Merchants of the Islamic World,
(London: Thames & Hudson, 2001), p 29.
1
one to the other. There is usually no grand facade, no lead up to the experience of entering that
space. It is organic, growing and changing as time passes, and the needs of the space change.
There is very little hierarchy and order. All these could be thought of as negative aspects, but in
fact they are what give character to the bazaar. The shops there are not branded; in fact, no one
even remembers their names. No one knows the exact location of each and every shop in the
bazaar, but we still thrive in that disorder and chaos. When winding through the passages, we
often come across shops that interest us but we had no idea even existed. A trip to the bazaar is
full of surprise and wonder, and the opportunity for new and exciting experience. Some popular
examples are Aashiyana, Gulf Shopping Mall, Glass Towers, and even Sunday Bazaar.
However, malls in Karachi are trying to follow examples of malls from Europe and
America. They are beautifully built structures with a main entrance and grand facades commonly
following the giant order. The shops inside are planned according to a specific strategy, where
importance is given to a feeling of openness in the space, such as Dolmen Mall, Clifton, Park
Towers and Emerald Towers. However, compared to a bazaar, it is a little impersonal, with a
sterile smell and a quiet atmosphere. The same shops are in all the malls so there is no special
reason for going to one mall over another, in terms of merchandise available. Also, as we are
already aware of the merchandise available is each shop, we often just go to the shop we came
for, and ignore the rest. The element of spontaneity is often missing from a trip to the mall,
whereas it is always there in a trip to the bazaar.
The profession of architecture deals with the creation of habitable spaces for a variety of
uses; the most important aspect being the level of functionality of the built environment.
2
However, architecture is about more than creating a practical and functional environment.
‘Building is about serving function: Architecture is about serving art…. It only becomes
architecture when it is no longer serving, when it transcends function and meaning. It becomes
architecture only when it signifies its condition outside of service.’ 3 Just because a space is
functional and habitable, does not make it good architecture. The highest levels of architecture
are seen in those spaces which not only fulfill their functional requirements but also have a
higher meaning in terms of psychological impact on the user. As architects are responsible for
building the spaces that people spend their entire lives in, it is their responsibility to make sure
that these spaces have a positive psychological impact on the user, i.e. that they motivate, inspire
and challenge the people occupying the space.
There is a fundamental difference in the ideology of Western architecture and Eastern, or
Islamic, architecture. According to Carruthers, in Western architecture, buildings are boxes of
interior space which are to be experienced individually. The surrounding areas are not given
much importance and thought of as the in-between spaces.’4 Seyyed Hossein Nasr said, ‘In
modern western architecture, a house is placed within a space and the space is defined by the
material it surrounds. In Islamic architecture, space is 'cut-out' from the material forms around it
3
Peter Eisenman, ‘The Meaning of Place in Art and Architecture’, Design Quarterly 122 (1983): 16-17.
http://www.jstor.org.ezproxy.aus.edu/stable/4091077?&Search=yes&searchText=Eisenman&searchText=Peter&list
=hide&searchUri=%2Faction%2FdoBasicSearch%3FQuery%3DPeter%2BEisenman%26fromHomePage%3Dtrue%
26acc%3Don%26wc%3Don%26fc%3Doff&prevSearch=&item=1&ttl=1276&returnArticleService=showFullText
[Date Accessed: 19th November 2012].
4
Kenneth D. B. Carruthers, ‘Architecture is Space: The Space-Positive Tradition’, Journal of Architectural
Education 39, No. 3 (Spring 1986): 17-23.
http://www.jstor.org.ezproxy.aus.edu/stable/info/1424783?&Search=yes&searchText=space&searchUri=%2Faction
%2FdoBasicSearch%3FQuery%3Dentrance%2Bpublic%2Bspace%26Search%3DSearch%26gw%3Djtx%26prq%3
Dthreshold%2Bpublic%2Bspace%26hp%3D25%26acc%3Don%26aori%3Da%26wc%3Don%26fc%3Doff [Date
Accessed: 19th November 2012].
3
and is defined by the inner surfaces of these forms.’5 Carruthers refers to this phenomenon as
space-positive, where the outside space is as important as the inside space, to the extent that the
“outside” could be perceived to be part of a larger “inside”.6
This difference between Western and Eastern architecture can be seen in Karachi when
we compare a mall and a bazaar. It is important to define exactly what I mean by a “mall” and a
“bazaar”. A bazaar is a space that is inspired by the Easter and Islamic tradition of retail. The
shops are mostly closed so the only place where the customer and the vendor interact is the
threshold of the shop. This is the point from which the merchandise is viewed, discussed,
bargained over, and eventually bought. This process that a customer goes through when
purchasing an item in a bazaar is what make this experience truly unique. So some examples of
bazaars in Karachi would be Empress Market, Sunday Bazaar, Bohri Bazaar, but also Gulf
Shopping Mall, Aashiyana, and Gul Plaza. A mall is a retail space inspired by the malls seen in
the west. They are giant structures that rise up, and are full of international and local branded
shops. In his article, “All the World’s a Mall: Reflections on the Social and Economic
Consequences of the American Shopping Center”, Jackson says that malls are ‘clean, safe,
convenient, and cheerful… [a] place where senior citizens walk in comfort and security, where
parents lead their young to Santa Claus, where singles court, where teenagers socialize, and
5
Seyyed Hossein Nasr, ‘The Sense of Unity’, quoted in Kenneth D. B. Carruthers, ‘Architecture is Space: The
Space-Positive Tradition’, Journal of Architectural Education 39, No. 3 (Spring 1986): 17-23.
http://www.jstor.org.ezproxy.aus.edu/stable/info/1424783?&Search=yes&searchText=space&searchUri=%2Faction
%2FdoBasicSearch%3FQuery%3Dentrance%2Bpublic%2Bspace%26Search%3DSearch%26gw%3Djtx%26prq%3
Dthreshold%2Bpublic%2Bspace%26hp%3D25%26acc%3Don%26aori%3Da%26wc%3Don%26fc%3Doff [Date
Accessed: 19th November 2012].
6
Kenneth D. B. Carruthers, ‘Architecture is Space: The Space-Positive Tradition’, 17-23.
4where everybody consumes.’7 He also says that malls are the ‘successors to traditional market
places.’8 However, I do not agree with this statement. While it may be true for America, the
birthplace of malls, it is not necessarily true for a country like Pakistan, where the “traditional
market places”, i.e. the bazaar, can still be seen in the city and is an important part of our history
and our culture. Calling malls the ‘successors’ to bazaars would be saying that bazaars are now
irrelevant. If malls are now fulfilling the purpose of bazaars, then what is the point of having
both? Why not pick one?
I believe that bazaars are an important part of the fabric of our society and so need to be
preserved. I can remember being a small child, and waiting eagerly for Sunday so I could go to
Sunday Bazaar and buy books, or going with my mother to Tuesday Bazaar to get vegetables. A
trip to Gulf Shopping Mall used to be full of wonder and fascination, and I would always find the
most unexpected things in the most unusual of places, and the sense of accomplishment I felt at
that moment was unrivaled by anything else I can remember from my childhood.
These days you do not really hear people talking about their experience when they visited
a bazaar last week. It is more common to hear about their trip to the mall. I feel that malls are
replacing bazaars in the hearts and minds of the people. I believe that this would be a tragedy,
and if we were to lose all our bazaars one by one, our society and culture would be poorer for it.
The question now is whether or not malls are truly becoming more popular in today’s Karachi,
and if so what are the reasons for this change.
7
Kenneth T. Jackson, ‘All the World’s a Mall: Reflections on the Social and Economic Consequences of the
American Shopping Center’, The American Historical Review 101, No. 4 (Oct. 1996): 1111-1121.
http://www.jstor.org/stable/2169636 .
8
Kenneth T. Jackson, ‘All the World’s a Mall: Reflections on the Social and Economic Consequences of the
American Shopping Center’, The American Historical Review 101, No. 4 (Oct. 1996): 1111-1121.
5Literature Review
Analyzing a Bazaar
In his essay, “Bazaar and its Role in the Development of Iranian Traditional Cities”,
Moosavi discussed the history of Eastern bazaars, its social, cultural, architectural aspects, and
the importance of bazaars in Iranian cities. Although Moosavi wrote his essay based on Iranian
cites, the points he made also apply to the bazaars of Karachi, as they too evolved from the
eastern, even Islamic, ideal of a bazaar.
Moosavi discusses the history of a bazaar, saying that it has its roots in the Islamic
culture, and as such is based on two basic elements, economy and religion. A bazaar is more
than just a place where goods are sold; it is ‘a place for economical, social, political, cultural and
civic activities of people.’ 9 It is a warren of unique sights, sounds and smells. As one wanders
from one path to another, they come across wondrous objects they might not have seen
otherwise. This is the true beauty of a bazaar: the wonder of discovery.
Physical contact is an important aspect of a bazaar. Vendors welcome interest in their
goods, even when the customer is not there to purchase. Bargaining for a price is common and
not considered as ill-mannered. It is a part of their day, and some enjoy the process as much as
the customer. In the end, not only do they want to sell a product, but also create an experience
that the customer would want to repeat.10 According to Weiss, ‘It seemed to me that for the first
9
Mir Saeed Moosavi, Bazaar and its Role in the Development of Iranian Traditional Cities, Tabriz Azad University,
Faculty of Art & Architecture, Iran, p 2.
10
Walter M. Weiss and Kurt-Michael Westermann, The Bazaar: Markets and Merchants of the Islamic World,
(London: Thames & Hudson, 2001), p 38.
6time I had come across a community in which people’s relationships were based not on chance
similarities of race and economic interests but on deeper and more lasting foundations: a
common view of the world and an attitude to life which removed any barriers of isolation.’ 11
Weiss called this attitude ‘rational feeling’, saying that such an open and friendly atmosphere
made Islamic markets striking in a way that could not be copied by Europeans.
Categories of Bazaars
Bazaars can be divided into three categories: periodic bazaar, urban bazaar, and local
bazaar.
Periodic Bazaar
Periodic bazaar is held every week or month. It is often located in an open space and may
or may not have a permanent architectural structure. An example of such a bazaar in Karachi is
Sunday Bazaar, held as the name suggests, on every Sunday.
11
Walter M. Weiss and Kurt-Michael Westermann, The Bazaar: Markets and Merchants of the Islamic World,
(London: Thames & Hudson, 2001), p 39.
7Urban Bazaar
Urban bazaar is a place where not only goods are sold, but it also acts as a cultural and
social center for the people.12 ‘Architecturally speaking, urban bazaar is a covered public
passageway which is surrounded by shops and stores in two sides… a place for shopping,
walking, social dialogue, and cultural interaction of people.’13 Unfortunately, Karachi cannot
boast of having an urban bazaar as the city is simply too vast for one bazaar to serve its needs.
Instead, there are many local bazaars.
Local Bazaar
Local bazaar is the same as an urban bazaar but on a smaller scale. It caters to only one
area of the city.14 Examples of such bazaars can be seen all over Karachi, such as Bohri Bazaar,
Gulf, Aashiyana, Gul Plaza etc. However, rather than being one passageway with shops on both
sides, they consist of many passages leading to each other, in an organic layout.
12
Mir Saeed Moosavi, Bazaar and its Role in the Development of Iranian Traditional Cities, Tabriz Azad
University, Faculty of Art & Architecture, Iran, p 3
13
Mir Saeed Moosavi, Bazaar and its Role in the Development of Iranian Traditional Cities, Tabriz Azad
University, Faculty of Art & Architecture, Iran, p 3
14
Mir Saeed Moosavi, Bazaar and its Role in the Development of Iranian Traditional Cities, Tabriz Azad
University, Faculty of Art & Architecture, Iran, p 3.
8Layout of a Bazaar
In terms of its architecture, a bazaar can have various characteristics depending on where
it is located, i.e. depending on ‘climate, culture and economical power of the city.’15 In terms of
layout, there are two kinds of bazaars. One is organic, which developed overtime and unplanned
additions were made to the layout. The other is planned, where the entry, exit and passages were
strategically arranged and no deviation was made from that arrangement. In Karachi, most
bazaars started out as being planned but then became organic as shops were added to them when
the demands of the people grew.
‘Space is experiential. Its physical sequence follows path, portal, and enclosure. This is
the true meaning of space, time and architecture: movement, passage, and arrival.’ 16 This can be
experiences in a bazaar in the form of continuous space. ‘Arrival’ in a bazaar means the entry to
each and every shop, as each constitutes a threshold moment in itself
Analyzing a Mall
“Stores and Shopping Centers” by Hornbeck is a collection of works that talks about
shops, their interiors, and shopping centers in terms of the reasoning behind their design, both
interior and architectural. It gives examples of successful shops and shopping centers in
America, while at the same time analyzing the reason behind their success. While this book is
15
Mir Saeed Moosavi, Bazaar and its Role in the Development of Iranian Traditional Cities, Tabriz Azad
University, Faculty of Art & Architecture, Iran, p 4.
16
Kenneth D. B. Carruthers, ‘Architecture is Space: The Space-Positive Tradition’, 17-23.
9based in America, I feel that the information in it applies to this dissertation as the malls that
have been built in Karachi were based on the Western ideal of shopping malls.
The Shop Itself
In the chapter “Shops and the Market Place”, Ketchum states that there are three main
areas in a store, namely ‘a sales area where goods are displayed and sold, a service area for
handling incoming and outgoing merchandise, and a store front used to advertise the business
within.’17 He states that this is the way that stores have been designed for decades. However, he
also says that ‘the heart of any retail establishment is the space where merchant and customer
meet over the sales counter.’ 18 In a bazaar most shops are designed in such a way that the
customer cannot actually enter the shop and must stand at the threshold. In doing so, all three
parts of the store are combined into one, namely the sales counter, which Ketchum has called the
‘heart’. For this reason, the ‘heart’ gains a wealth of importance and that is one of the reasons
why the experience of shopping in a bazaar is so different from that of shopping in a mall.
The Shopping Environment
In another chapter “Suburban Shopping Can Be a Pleasure”, Hornbeck says that while a
lot of progress has been made in the design of the store itself, the areas surrounding the shops
17
Morris Ketchum, Jr., ‘Shops and the Market Place’, Stores and Shopping Centers, ed. James S. Hornbeck, (New
York: McGraw-Hill, 1962), p 12.
18
James S. Hornbeck, ‘Suburban Shopping Can be a Pleasure’, Stores and Shopping Centers, ed. James S.
Hornbeck, (New York: McGraw-Hill, 1962), p 89.
10have not seen the same level of progress. He calls this area the ‘shopping environment’, stating
that ‘this is the aspect of shopping center design that can make the difference’.19 Since this book
was compiled in 1962, progress has been made on the shopping environment in a mall, which
can be seen in the malls of Karachi, such as the Dolmen City and Park Towers. However, the
same cannot be said of the bazaars of Karachi.
The Scale of a Mall
Bennett states in the chapter “Planning Shopping Centers for Pedestrians” that the scale
of the architecture is very important in defining the relationship a customer would feel with the
merchandise. He calls it a ‘frame’ between the two, saying that if the frame is too large, then it
creates feelings of insecurity in the customers, making them ‘feel that both [they] and the
merchandise are inadequate’.20 This is especially true in a city like Karachi, where people can
visit and compare two different approaches to shopping areas, i.e. bazaars and malls.
Comparing a Bazaar and a Mall in terms of Interaction between the Buyer and the Seller
In “What if Hayek Goes Shopping in the Bazaar?” by Bertacchini and Lamieri, they have
compared ‘two very different market forms: Bazaar, the typical market present in the Arab
19
James S. Hornbeck, ‘Suburban Shopping Can be a Pleasure’, Stores and Shopping Centers, ed. James S.
Hornbeck, (New York: McGraw-Hill, 1962), p 89.
20
Richard M. Bennett, ‘Planning Shopping Centers for Pedestrians’, Stores and Shopping Centers, ed. James S.
Hornbeck, (New York: McGraw-Hill, 1962), p 94.
11societies of Northern Africa and Middle East and the common retail markets existing in modern
industrial societies, such as the Mall (shopping center).’ 21
They have defined a bazaar as a space where trade is conducted primarily through
clientelization and bargaining, and this interaction is interpersonal. 22 What this means is that in a
bazaar, the buyers tend to develop relationships with certain sellers based on their long history of
trade with each other. This has both advantages and disadvantages, as the buyer often gets a
better price for the good being purchased as he has a history with the seller, but in the long run
this can also hurt the buyer as it is possible that another seller that he has no knowledge of could
have given him a better price. One major disadvantage of such a system as found in a bazaar is
that often there is a lot of time wasted when ascertaining whom a buyer should trade with, as
prices can differ from one seller to another.
However, in a mall, the interaction between the buyer and the seller is more impersonal.23
The prices are written so the buyer has easy access to them and they are non-negotiable. There is
no emotional interaction between the buyer and seller. The choice of which seller to trade with is
determined by the posted price alone, and as such each seller competes with the other by posting
the lowest price it can offer in order to attract the buyer. However, the lowest price offered for a
good might not be the lowest price that could have been offered. In such cases, the buyer has no
21
Enrico E. Bertacchini and Marco Lamieri, What if Hayek goes Shopping in the Bazaar?, 2006, University of
Turin, p 1. http://mpra.ub.uni-muenchen.de/367/1/MPRA_paper_367.pdf
22
Enrico E. Bertacchini and Marco Lamieri, What if Hayek goes Shopping in the Bazaar?, 2006, University of
Turin, p 2.
23
Enrico E. Bertacchini and Marco Lamieri, What if Hayek goes Shopping in the Bazaar?, 2006, University of
Turin, p 2.
12opportunity to strike a better deal as the price is non-negotiable and there is no concept of
bargaining.
This interaction forms the basis on which the experience in a bazaar differs from that in a
mall.
The Essence of a Shopping Environment
Bennett states that ‘a Shopping Center is a place where one goes to seek, to look at, to
find, compare, price and buy, and the implication of the adventure of finding is an important
ingredient’. 24 While this was written for a mall, I find that it holds truer for a bazaar. All the
malls of Karachi house the same local and international brands, with a few notable exceptions.
However, every bazaar has different merchandise available and it is in this environment that a
person feels a true sense of the ‘adventure of finding’ and also the pleasure of discovery when
they come across the perfect merchandise, and all the time spent looking is richly rewarded.
Bennett calls the way malls are organized and run ‘rational, successful, convenient,
efficient, smart, fashionable,’ and then proceeds to ask, ‘but how many show human
understanding and a love of adventure?’25 My answer would be that a person would find it hard
to come across this emotion in a mall but would be able to experience it fully in the bazaars of
Karachi.
24
Richard M. Bennett, ‘Planning Shopping Centers for Pedestrians’, Stores and Shopping Centers, ed. James S.
Hornbeck, (New York: McGraw-Hill, 1962), p 92.
25
Richard M. Bennett, ‘Planning Shopping Centers for Pedestrians’, Stores and Shopping Centers, ed. James S.
Hornbeck, (New York: McGraw-Hill, 1962), p 94.
13Research Methodology
The beginning of the research for this dissertation was by studying existing texts about
bazaars and malls; their history, planning, significance in society, etc. that formed the basis of
the research, as the historical context in which the research is placed was explored. The main
texts analyzed are “Bazaar and its Role in the Development of Iranian Traditional Cities” by
Moosavi, “Stores and Shopping Centers” by Hornbeck, and “What if Hayek Goes Shopping in
the Bazaar?” by Bertacchini and Lamieri.
“Bazaar and its Role in the Development of Iranian Traditional Cities” by Moosavi is a
text based in the cities of Iran. However it was useful as it provided an analysis of bazaars that
also applies to the bazaars that are found in Karachi. Not only did it have information on the
roots of an Eastern bazaar, but it also discussed the categories that one could divide bazaars in,
as well as an analysis of the way bazaars are organized and laid out. Also, some information was
taken from “The Bazaar: Markets and Merchants of the Islamic World” written by Weiss and
Westermannto support my analysis of Moosavi’s text. “The Bazaar” discusses the beginning of
bazaars in the old Islamic world. At the same time, it connects them to the current bazaars that
can be seen in the Islamic world of today. The book is written by Walter M. Weiss, while the
illustrations and photographs are by Kurt-Michael Westermann.
“Stores and Shopping Centers” by Hornbeck focuses on the logic behind the design of a
modern store, and mall, and its importance in today’s world. It discusses the overlying theory
behind shop design, while at the same time giving specific examples of existing stores. One of
the drawbacks of this book is that it talks only about stores in America, but since this paper is
14defining the modern mall seen in Karachi today as a concept that started in the west, it made
sense to use this book as the basis of this discussion. This text was quite useful as it was easy to
follow and understand but had some good points about the theories behind a shopping mall.
While some of the information was outdated as the book was published in 1962, I was able to
keep this fact in mind and analyze the text accordingly.
The third text I analyzed was “What if Hayek Goes Shopping in the Bazaar?” by
Bertacchini and Lamieri. The primary focus of this text was to compare the Eastern idea of a
retail space i.e. a bazaar with the retail spaces commonly found today in industrial societies, i.e.
the Mall. While the approach of this text was based in economics, I still found it quite useful as it
put in black and white the main difference that I feel exists in the experience of a bazaar from a
mall, i.e. the relationship and interaction between the buyer and the seller.
The primary research consisted of two surveys that were conducted in specifically chosen
places. As the topic of this dissertation is the potential shift in popularity from bazaars to malls, it
was important to do a qualitative analysis of the user experience. On the other hand, in order to
be able to analyze the data collected, some quantitative questions also needed to be included. The
target audience was not restricted to any one gender, demographic or age group, as I felt it was in
the interests of this paper to gather a more balanced body of data to be analyzed. There was a
strong possibility that by keeping the sample population open, new avenues of investigation
would be discovered which could have helped in answering the overall research question.
However, this did not turn out to be true, but I still feel that keeping the sample population open
has helped make my research well-rounded.
15The first survey was mostly qualitative in nature and mostly consisted of open ended
questions which people could answer freely. The idea behind such a survey was to simply gather
people opinions about malls and bazaars in general without prejudicing them in any manner.
This survey was conducted in popular shopping areas in order to get a well-rounded response. I
went to Tariq Road, Empress Market, Gizri and Zamzama and interviewed 5-10 people at each
location. I had originally planned to interview ten people at each location, but was unable to do
so because mostly people were not willing to take the survey as it was a bit long. In some cases
they only filled out parts and left the rest. Due to this, I had to discard some of them as they were
unable to provide me with all the information I needed. Also, I placed this survey online but did
not get many responses in this method.
The second survey was mainly qualitative in nature. I used the data gathered from the
first survey to form the next one. It had specific categories that people had to respond to with
only five open ended questions. The places where this survey was conducted were also selected
based on questions asked in the first survey, i.e. I went to the malls and bazaars that were said to
be the most popular in the first survey. I conducted it at Dolmen City (Clifton), Forum, Dolmen
Center (Tariq Road), Dolmen Mall (Hyderi), Sunday Bazaar, Aashiyana, Bohri Bazaar, Gulf
Shopping Mall and Empress Market. Although Empress Market and Dolmen Mall (Hyderi) were
not high in the list of popular malls and bazaars, I still surveyed at these locations so that I would
be covering a wider area in terms of demographics. It was easier to get people to fill this survey
out as it did not take as long. The only hard part was when I could not simply hand it to them to
fill but instead had to go through it with them as they could not understand English perfectly and
I needed to explain what I was asking in the survey. However, this also allowed me to gain a
16better understanding of people’s thoughts and feelings as I was able to discuss their answers with
them.
I also did a visual analysis of these places to try to see them through the eyes of the people I was
trying to connect with. Usually I first survey a location and then walked around the space
keeping their comments in mind, trying to experience the space the way they did. One problem I
faced was that for security reasons, I was unable to take pictures of the locations and so had to
rely on images from the net to refresh my memory when I wrote this dissertation.
17Findings and Analysis
Response to Bazaars
When asked during Survey 2 how they felt about bazaars, the response given by the
target audience was quite neutral, with 47% saying they felt positively, 46% saying they felt
negatively, and 7% replying that they did not have an opinion one way or the other.
Figure 1: Overall Response to Bazaars as Indicated By Survey 2
Of the thirteen categories given, the three with the most positive responses were quality of
product, cost of items available and variety of items available.
18Figure 2: Top Three Categories with Positive Responses – Bazaars
The three categories that received the most negative responses were availability of toilets,
availability of parking, and level of cleanliness.
Figure 3: Top Three Categories with Negative Responses – Bazaars
19There was also a general consensus that bazaars are hot and crowded, but people like bargaining
with the shopkeepers and would not want the prices to be fixed.26 Some said ‘bazaars in Karachi
cater to all strata of society in the most economical manner,’ and are ‘lively, every time a new
experience.’ 27 On the other hand, some said they disliked bazaars and the government should
‘finish bazaars completely and open stores and supermarkets even for poor people.’ 28
Some of the things people said they loved about bazaars in Survey 1 were ‘discovering
new things, cheap deals, [and] relationship with old shop owners.’ 29 One even said, ‘the
different aromas, the randomness sometimes excites you, the feeling of happiness when you find
something useful from all the chaos around you.’ 30
Some of the problems that were pointed out by many were ‘tight spaces, too crowded, no
restrooms, security issues, lack of parking, noise, [and] looking for things all over.’31
Response to Malls
When asked how they felt about malls, the response given by the target audience was
distinctly positive, with 74% saying they loved or liked malls, only 20% saying they felt
negatively, and 6% replying that they did not have an opinion one way or the other.
26
Unknown. “Dissertation Survey 2,” Survey. 25th April 2013.
27
Unknown. “Dissertation Survey 2,” Survey. 25th April 2013.
28
Unknown. “Dissertation Survey 2,” Survey. 25th April 2013.
29
Unknown. “Dissertation Survey 1,” Survey. 7th April 2013.
30
Unknown. “Dissertation Survey 1,” Survey. 7th April 2013.
31
Unknown. “Dissertation Survey 1,” Survey. 7th April 2013.
20Figure 4: Overall Response to Malls as Indicated By Survey 2
The three categories, of the thirteen options provided, that received the most positive responses
were quality of product, level of cleanliness, and amount of walking space.
Figure 5: Top Three Categories with Positive Responses – Malls
21Only two categories received a negative response regarding malls and those were cost of items
available and the amount of sunlight inside the malls.
Figure 6: Top Two Categories with Negative Responses – Malls
There was an agreement on the fact that shops in malls are easy to find, and the
temperature is quite comfortable. However, the target audience still thought that malls were
crowded, and that they do not like the fact that the prices are fixed and that there is no
bargaining.32
In the open ended question, the opinion about malls was quite positive. One described it
as, ‘a place where complete shopping, entertainment and security are provided under one roof.’33
Another commented, ‘I love malls although more traditional things aren’t available.’34 One
32
Unknown. “Dissertation Survey 2,” Survey. 25th April 2013.
33
Unknown. “Dissertation Survey 2,” Survey. 25th April 2013.
34
Unknown. “Dissertation Survey 2,” Survey. 25th April 2013.
22raised an interesting question, asking ‘Why are malls for branded only? Why not local and
cheap?’35
In Survey 1, some of the things people said they loved about malls were ‘safe and secure
environment, air conditioning, restrooms, sales, food courts, play area for kids, parking,
ambience, quality, [and] open space.’36
Some of the things people said they hated were ‘crowds, pricy restaurants, noise, no
sunlight, mad weekends, prices, lack of parking, not enough seating, no smoking area, [and that]
you can’t bargain.’37
Which is More Popular – Bazaars or Malls
As can be seen by the responses stated above regarding Bazaars and Malls, people at the
moment prefer malls. This has been proved again and again by my primary research:
35
Unknown. “Dissertation Survey 2,” Survey. 25th April 2013.
36
Unknown. “Dissertation Survey 1,” Survey. 7th April 2013.
37
Unknown. “Dissertation Survey 1,” Survey. 7th April 2013.
23Figure 7: Comparison of Positive Response towards Malls and Bazaars as Indicated By Survey 2
Figure 8: Result of Where People Spend More Time- Malls or Bazaars- as Indicated By Survey 2
24Figure 9: Result of Where People Prefer to Go- Malls or Bazaars- as Indicated By Survey 1
The question now arises, why do people refer malls to bazaars? After all, the first mall to
be built in Karachi was the Dolmen Center on Tariq Road in 1998.38 Prior to that, however,
bazaars were the only places where people could go for shopping and for entertainment.
However, the advent of malls changed the perspective people had towards bazaars. Now people
do not believe that bazaars have any entertainment value what so ever.
38
Name Unknown, ‘Dolmen Center, Karachi’, hamariweb.com, (n.d.).
http://travel.hamariweb.com/Asia/Pakistan/Karachi/Shopping/Dolmen-Center [Last accessed: 20th June, 2013].
25Figure 10: Result of Whether or Not People go to Malls for Recreation – as Indicated By Survey 1
Figure 11: Result of Whether or Not People go to Bazaars for Recreation – as Indicated By Survey 1
26By looking at the results of the survey it can be seen that the problem people have with
bazaars has very little to do with the quality, quantity, or price of the merchandise sold there.
People feel that bazaars are hot, tight and crowded. They are unclean, mismanaged and are not
maintained at all. There is either very little or no parking available for the customers, and they
are not secure. So while the product attracts customers, its surroundings repel them. Simply put,
the problem primarily is in the shopping environment.
Ketchum said, ‘Even the best shops and stores cannot win against the wrong shopping
environment.’ 39 This is very true for bazaars. The products available are eye catching and
attractive, the prices allow for the purchasing power of every demographic, but the condition of
the shopping environment is the main factor that is causing people to turn away from bazaars
and go towards malls. This is the problem that needs to be addressed if our bazaars are to
survive.
In terms of scale, our bazaars have an advantage over malls. Our malls are mostly built
on the giant order, with double and triple height spaces given. The ‘frame’ Bennett mentioned
comes into play in such a situation, as the giant order creates a sense of separation, and a feeling
of insecurity in the customers. However this is not true for the bazaars and the people of Karachi
have the option to compare both and decide for themselves in which surroundings they feel more
comfortable.
39
Morris Ketchum, Jr., ‘Shops and the Market Place’, Stores and Shopping Centers, ed. James S. Hornbeck, (New
York: McGraw-Hill, 1962), p 16.
27Since the first mall as built in Karachi in 1998, the expectations of the people have
changed.40 Simply put, they want more.
Lewis commented that malls are now catering to more than just the need to shop. He said
‘the “mixed use,” or “multi-purpose” shopping mall… [was] fast becoming the standard form,
[mixing] recreation and community facilities with retail outlets in an effort to integrate
surrounding suburban communities to create a focal point for community life.’ 41 This is what
people now expect from the malls of Karachi today. To an extent, they are able to deliver this
experience but now that information flows so easily worldwide they can see that malls in other
parts of the world are providing various sources of entertainment that the malls of Karachi don’t.
They expect future malls to remedy this situation. In such a climate, is it any wonder that
bazaars are being left behind?
The way forward is clear. The only way to safeguard the future of an important social
institution, the Bazaar, is to combine the elements that people like about malls with bazaars
while still keeping the character of a bazaar intact. While this is not an easy endeavor, it is one
that must be attempted. The first step is to work on the shopping environment. By keeping the
bazaars clean and reorganizing them to provide open passages, good lighting conditions and
more seating, we can solve most of the problems faced by bazaars today. Providing facilities
such as parking, clean toilets, good ventilation, and noise reduction, we can entice people
towards bazaars again.
40
Name Unknown, ‘Dolmen Center, Karachi’, hamariweb.com, (n.d.).
http://travel.hamariweb.com/Asia/Pakistan/Karachi/Shopping/Dolmen-Center [Last accessed: 20th June, 2013].
41
George H. Lewis, ‘Community Through Exclusion and Illusion: The Creation of Social Worlds in an American
Shopping Mall’, The Journal of Popular Culture 24, No. 2. (Fall 1990): 121-136.
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.0022-3840.1990.2402_121.x/abstract [Date Accessed: 19th June 2013].
28The next step is a more difficult one. The fact today is that people want more. They no
longer just want to visit bazaars to shop or look around; they must be enticed by providing
entertainment and leisure. By including small parks, food courts, play areas for kids in the
surrounding environment, bazaars would have a real chance at competing with malls, and may
even win this competition eventually.
29Conclusion
In today’s world, we are all connected and so it is natural for us to learn from what
people are doing on the other side of the world, and even to an extent, imitate them. However,
this does not mean that we lose the connection that we have with our past and our culture. It is
important to preserve who we were, and who we are as we move forward.
While as a profession, architecture has adopted many traits of the western world, we need
to first see if these practices truly fit in with our culture, society and way of living. In some cases,
such as that of the bazaar, it would be better to stick to our old practices, as they provide us with
experiences that Western ideals cannot. However, it is a fact that our bazaars do need to be
renovated so their experience can become a more pleasant one. In this case we need to very
carefully and selective take some traits from Western malls and adapt them for our bazaars.
What is important is that we do not lose the special experience of shopping in a bazaar. Moosavi
commented on the changes the Iranian society has been going through and said, ‘Today, the role
of bazaar has declined because great and fast changes in Iranian society has decreased its
importance as a public space, in order to keep its importance and memory a powerful
revitalization is necessary.’ The same is also true for Karachi. This is a situation that needs to be
remedied before we start to lose such an important part of our history.
Bennett asked with regards to malls, ‘how many show human understanding and a love
of adventure?’42 The answer to this question would be the finishing stage of this quest to save the
bazaars of Karachi. Only when people are able to experience this ideal fully in the bazaars of
42
Richard M. Bennett, ‘Planning Shopping Centers for Pedestrians’, Stores and Shopping Centers, ed. James S.
Hornbeck, (New York: McGraw-Hill, 1962), p 94.
30Karachi will we be able to step back and say that we have helped preserve an important part of
our history, our culture and our society.
31Bibliography
Bertacchini, Enrico E. and Marco Lamieri. ‘What if Hayek goes Shopping in the Bazaar?’,
University of Turin. (2006). http://mpra.ub.uni-muenchen.de/367/1/MPRA_paper_367.pdf [Last
accessed: 27th May 2013].
Carruthers, Kenneth D. B. ‘Architecture is Space: The Space-Positive Tradition’. Journal of
Architectural Education 39, No. 3 (Spring 1986): 17-23.
http://www.jstor.org.ezproxy.aus.edu/stable/info/1424783?&Search=yes&searchText=space&se
archUri=%2Faction%2FdoBasicSearch%3FQuery%3Dentrance%2Bpublic%2Bspace%26Search
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Don%26aori%3Da%26wc%3Don%26fc%3Doff [Last Accessed: 19th November 2012].
Eisenman, Peter. ‘The Meaning of Place in Art and Architecture’. Design Quarterly 122 (1983):
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rchText=Peter&list=hide&searchUri=%2Faction%2FdoBasicSearch%3FQuery%3DPeter%2BEi
senman%26fromHomePage%3Dtrue%26acc%3Don%26wc%3Don%26fc%3Doff&prevSearch=
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Hornbeck, James S. ed. Stores and Shopping Centers (New York: McGraw-Hill), 1962.
32Jackson, Kenneth T. ‘All the World’s a Mall: Reflections on the Social and Economic
Consequences of the American Shopping Center’, The American Historical Review 101, No. 4.
(Oct. 1996): 1111-1121. http://www.jstor.org/stable/2169636 [Last accessed: 25th May 2013].
Lewis, George H. ‘Community Through Exclusion and Illusion: The Creation of Social Worlds
in an American Shopping Mall’, The Journal of Popular Culture 24, No. 2. (Fall 1990): 121-136.
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.0022-3840.1990.2402_121.x/abstract [Date
Accessed: 19th June 2013].
Moosavi, Mir Saeed. ‘Bazaar and its Role in the Development of Iranian Traditional Cities’,
Tabriz Azad University, Faculty of Art & Architecture. (n.d.). http://www-
etsav.upc.es/personals/iphs2004/pdf/abs/moosavi_saeed.pdf [Last accessed: 25 th May 2013].
Name Unknown, ‘Dolmen Center, Karachi’, hamariweb.com, (n.d.).
http://travel.hamariweb.com/Asia/Pakistan/Karachi/Shopping/Dolmen-Center [Last accessed:
20th June, 2013].
Unknown. “Dissertation Survey 2,” Survey. 25th April 2013.
Unknown. “Dissertation Survey 1,” Survey. 7th April 2013.
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16-17.
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&item=1&ttl=1276&returnArticleService=showFullText [Last Accessed: 19th November 2012].
34List of Figures
Figure 1: Overall Response to Bazaars as Indicated By Survey 2
Figure 2: Top Three Categories with Positive Responses – Bazaars
Figure 3: Top Three Categories with Negative Responses – Bazaars
Figure 4: Overall Response to Malls as Indicated By Survey 2
Figure 5: Top Three Categories with Positive Responses – Malls
Figure 6: Top Two Categories with Negative Responses – Malls
Figure 7: Comparison of Positive Response towards Malls and Bazaars as Indicated By Survey 2
Figure 8: Result of Where People Spend More Time Malls or Bazaars- as Indicated By Survey 2
Figure 9: Result of Where People Prefer to Go- Malls or Bazaars- as Indicated By Survey 1
Figure 10: Result of Whether or Not People go to Malls for Recreation – as Indicated By
Survey 1
Figure 11: Result of Whether or Not People go to Bazaars for Recreation – as Indicated By
Survey 1
35Appendices:
Survey 1 – Sample
1. Which is your favourite place to go shopping in Karachi?
______________________________________________________________________________
Malls:
2. Name your favourite malls.
1) ________________________ 2) ________________________
3) ________________________ 4) ________________________
3. What are the five things you love in malls?
1) ________________________ 2) ________________________
3) ________________________ 4) ________________________
5) ________________________
4. What are the five things you hate in malls?
1) ________________________ 2) ________________________
363) ________________________ 4) ________________________
5) ________________________
5. Do you like to go to malls just for recreation? Why?
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
6. Is there anything that is not available in a mall that you would want?
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
Bazaars:
7. Name your favourite bazaars.
1) ________________________ 2) ________________________
3) ________________________ 4) ________________________
8. What are the five things you love in bazaars?
1) ________________________ 2) ________________________
3) ________________________ 4) ________________________
375) ________________________
9. What are the five things you hate in bazaars?
1) ________________________ 2) ________________________
3) ________________________ 4) ________________________
5) ________________________
10. Do you like to go to bazaars just for recreation?
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
11. Is there anything that is not available in a bazaar that you would want?
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
12. Which do you like more: Malls Bazaars
Why?
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
13. General Information:
Name (optional): _______________________________________________________________
38Age:_____________________
Gender: Male Female
Address: _____________________________________________________________________
39Survey 1 – Tabulated Results
1. Which is your favourite place to go shopping in Karachi? Why?
Dolmen City
Malls:
2. Name your favourite malls.
1) Dolmen City 2) Forum
3) Park Towers 4) Dolmen Center
3. What are the five things you love in malls?
i. Safe and secure environment
ii. A/C
iii. Its clean
iv. Restrooms
v. Sales
vi. Food courts
vii. Play area for kids
viii. Parking
ix. Best names under one roof
x. Ambience
xi. Ease of access
xii. One step solution
xiii. Crowds
xiv. Quality
40xv. Open space
4. What are the five things you hate in malls?
i. Crowds
ii. Pricy restaurants
iii. Noise
iv. No sunlight
v. Mad weekends
vi. Prices
vii. Washrooms
viii. Too crowded
ix. Lack of parking
x. Less entertainment facilities for children
xi. Not enough seating
xii. No smoking area
xiii. Gender discrimination
xiv. You cant bargain
5. Do you like to go to malls just for recreation? Why?
Yes - 13
i. Window shopping
ii. Food
iii. To hangout
iv. Shopping spree with friends
v. Kids have fun
vi. Kill the time
41vii. Nice way to spend time browsing
viii. One gets to relax in such environment
ix. To look at things and relax my mind
x. Cause you can hang out at an air conditioned space without spending too much
xi. There is no other entertainment
No - 9
6. Is there anything that is not available in a mall that you would want?
i. Theme parks
ii. Seating
iii. Aquarium
iv. More interactive spaces
v. Wifi conections
vi. More cultural things
vii. Sheesha lounge
viii. More recreational elements for adults
ix. Pan shop
Bazaars:
7. Name your favourite bazaars.
1) Sunday Bazaar 2) Aashiyana
3) Bohri Bazaar 4) Gulf Shopping Mall
8. What are the five things you love in bazaars?
i. Discovering new things
42ii. Shops in one location
iii. Cheap deals
iv. Variety of high to low end
v. Roadside food
vi. Lively at all times
vii. You can easily bargain
viii. Lots of options
ix. Relationship with old shop owners
x. Colors, culture, tradition
xi. The different aromas, the randomness sometimes excites you, the feeling of
happiness when you find something useful from all the chaos around you.
xii. Clothes
xiii. Finger food
9. What are the five things you hate in bazaars?
i. Tight spaces
ii. Unorganized thailas
iii. Too crowded
iv. Too hot – no A/C
v. No restrooms
vi. Bargaining
vii. Less secure
viii. Traffic congestion
ix. Security issues
x. Noise
xi. Lack of parking
xii. Inconsistency of product
xiii. Looking for things all over
4310. Do you like to go to bazaars just for recreation?
No – 22
i. Not a place of recreation
ii. Too busy
Yes - 0
11. Is there anything that is not available in a bazaar that you would want?
i. Proper parking
ii. Public restrooms
iii. Security
iv. A/C
v. Cafes
vi. Good quality products
vii. Branded stuff
viii. Direction boards so you can find shops
12. Which do you like more: Malls Bazaars
Why?
Malls – 16
i. Good environment and availability of good standard products
ii. More options, better quality, better environment and good design
iii. Easy access
iv. Most things are available and genuine
v. Better standards
44vi. They overall are more organized and have service tha make it convenient to more
shoppers
Bazaars – 6
i. More variety and fun things
ii. Easy to locate and got all kinds of stuff in reasonable price
iii. Cheaper prices and availability of items
45Survey 2 – Sample
1. How do you feel about these items in Bazaars?
Don’t Don’t
like care
Items Love Like Hate
1. Amount of Walking Space
2. Amount of Sunlight inside
3. Level of Cleanliness
4. Level of Noise
5. Availability of Security
6. Availability of Parking
7. Availability of Toilets
8. Availability of Food Court
9. Availability of Places to sit
10. Number of people present
11. Variety of Items Available
12. Cost of items Available
13. Quality of Product
2. Please give you opinion about Bazaars.
Items Yes No
1. Are the shops easy to find?
462. Do you feel you get lost when trying to find a specific shop?
3. Do you like open air bazaars?
4. Do you like bazaars that are inside buildings?
5. Do you find bazaars hot?
6. Do you think bazaars are crowded?
7. Do you like bargaining with the shopkeepers?
8. Would you want the price to be fixed?
3. State in one sentence your opinion about Bazaars.
______________________________________________________________________________
4. How do you feel about these elements in Malls?
Don’t Don’t
like care
Items Love Like Hate
1. Amount of Walking Space
2. Amount of Sunlight inside
3. Level of Cleanliness
4. Level of Noise
5. Availability of Security
6. Availability of Parking
7. Availability of Toilets
8. Availability of Food Court
9. Availability of Places to sit
4710. Number of people present
11. Variety of Items Available
12. Cost of items Available
13. Quality of Product
5. Please give you opinion about Malls.
Items Yes No
1. Are the shops easy to find?
2. Do you feel you get lost when trying to find a specific shop?
3. Do you find malls cold?
4. Do you find malls hot?
5. Do you think malls are crowded?
6. Do you like that the price is fixed?
7. Would you want to be able to bargain?
6. State in one sentence your opinion about Malls.
______________________________________________________________________________
7. Where do you spend more time: Bazaars Malls
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