The Modern Shopping Centers of Kharkiv in Visitors' Perception

Article is dedicated to revealing the qualitative characteristics of environment of five modern shopping centers of Kharkiv. Analysis is based on user reviews published on Google Maps. Review texts underwent semantic analysis with division of results under 4 qualitative categories, namely "commercial attractiveness", "comfortability", "energization of activity", "aesthetic articulation of the place". Results confirm the existence of three patterns of preferences' distribution that correspond to three types of shopping mall by structure (by B. Maitland), these being introverted, integrated and specialized or thematic type. The figures were then compared with results from similar analysis of foreign centers. Three shopping centers of Kharkiv received positive reviews in numbers comparable with foreign ones, all of the prevalent introverted type, signalling that competition between shopping complexes in Kharkiv is not high enough for their owners to seek new spatial concepts for retail objects. Meanwhile, developed retail markets of USA and Western Europe indicate the diversification of type and spatial characteristics of shopping centers. An adoption of shopping center organization methods from western practice and its belated spread in Ukraine lead to lag in new types' introduction. Particularly an idea of thematic narrative concept is a promising but underused resource in Kharkiv's situation.