If I enter a shopping mall in my country I expect it to be American the same way I expect a McDonald’s to be American. I mean, the very concept is foreign.

Fun fact, the word "mall" comes from the Italian "pallamaglio"

[0] https://www.merriam-webster.com/words-at-play/the-history-of...

Thanks for this. I always wondered why the road leading west from Trafalgar Sq was called Pall Mall.

Serious question (not rhetorical). Do you think this a problem could be that large, international cities tend to copy US cities or do you think that they themselves become homogenous with one another? Former West Germany is also a particularly egregious example of US influence due to our historical involvement there.

I don't know, but having lived in Germany for a while, I prefer the German way of shopping in the Alt Stadt. I've often thought that if I designed a planned community, I'd model it after an Alt Stadt. Complete with town wall and a moat, of course!