Replacing shopping

Thinking about great places I have been, many of them revolve around historical significance. In fact, sometimes reclaimed and repurposed buildings make a great basis for placemaking. Of course, many times these repurposed buildings can utterly fail too. Either way, historical value can be a draw. But I digress.

Lots of the great places I can think of in the US center on nightlife and shopping. Even a lot of malls I have been too have many of the elements of great places. But what about areas without the economic firepower to support numerous restaurants and specialty stores? And what about the inner ring with its emptying strip centers with acres of parking? With much retail gone to the big boxes or malls, how can these areas create enough social energy to pass the tipping point and make a great place? I believe the key is giving people a reason to mix and mingle in close proximity without spending a lot of money. Take a big corner strip mall and replace a square of the parking with grass, a fountain, stalls to sell produce, ice cream, coffee, a place for live music (but no band shell, please -- they look so dead when empty). Maybe replace part of the strip with a library extension or city hall? This would bring a stream of people to the area all week long. Oh, and a few port-a-potties would be nice too.

What else is cheap and relies on other people to increase the value?