Abstract
The study undertakes the subject of public shopping centers in Wrocław as representative of quasi-public space. Public space should enable public discussion, whereas the public events organized in malls have little to do with public debate. The users of shopping centers are usually consumers or business entities whose main goal is to improve the quality of their lives.
Public space should be available without any additional permission to use it. It should also be freely accessible and provide the opportunity for various people to congregate—this is seen as a positive feature of space that is worth visiting. Public space should also promote the notion of public property and encourage its users to express and exchange opinions. Contemporary malls serve as an attempt at providing a replacement for public space.
The study aims to represent the scale of shopping centers operating within the space of the city of Wrocław, the area they occupy and the economic consequences they entail for small entrepreneurs operating in the region where they exist.