For retailers the demographically-designed mega malls drove traffic.

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The post-WWII emergence of low-cost high-performance automobiles combined with an enormous build-out of highways enabled the era of mega malls to co-locate hundreds of stores in millions of square feet of space making shopping more convenient and for many, more social and fun.

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But the era of unbridled growth for mega-malls, the automobiles, and highway miles was already ending before the Great Recession.

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In addition to the world's biggest airport, largest man-made islands, longest indoor ski slope and some of the biggest shopping malls and hotels anywhere, it is also building a mega theme park, Dubailand, which consists of some 45 separate projects, including such brand-name attractions as Legoland, a Tiger Woods golf course, a Six Flags fun fair, a Formula One park, and themed attractions from DreamWorks (a Hollywood film studio) and Marvel Comics.

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