My Year of the Book - Day 146: Here’s something for you weekend mall shoppers out there...a first edition of Victor Gruen’s “The Heart of Our Cities” (1964). In case the author’s name doesn’t ring a bell, the “Gruen Effect,” which describes the practice of creating tantalizing window and shelf displays in retail environments to drive impulse purchases, was named for him. His company designed the first indoor, climate-controlled shopping mall; Southdale Center in Edina, Minnesota, in 1952. Dozens of mall commissions followed. Gruen eventually turned his attention to city planning, applying many of his traffic flow and design theories to a much larger scale. Walt Disney was a fan of Gruen’s work, and kept a copy of “Heart” on his office desk (Photo 2). It is fairly easy to see Gruen’s probable influence on EPCOT’s early circular design. If you are interested in urban planning or architecture or the relationship between space and place, this fascinating book should be on your shelves, or better yet, open on your desk. :) #waltdisney #yearofthebook #waltdisneyworld #epcot #cityplanning #shoppingmall #victorgruen #bibliophile #book #bookish #booknerd #booklover #booklove #rarebook #firstedition #architecture #design #bookworm #bookaddict #bookshelf #mylibrary #urbanplanning