What is so unique about Rundle Mall?

def: u·nique/yo͞oˈnēk/

Noun: A unique person or thing.

Adjective: Being the only one of its kind; unlike anything else: "the situation was unique in modern politics"; "original and unique designs".

Can we apply this definition to the central Adelaide city retail precinct known as Rundle Mall?

A recent Advertiser newspaper feature questioned the very same in a vox-pop poll of strolling pedestrians resulting in the majority consensus that few agreed Rundle Mall is any more unique than other city malls.

Now I know Martin Haese (Rundle Mall Manager) is really doing some good work to incorporate a more youthful slant on the mall. But the mall is visually tired, showing it's age and has no focal point, no sense of adventure or wonder and that sadly people is the reality.

His side-kick John Samartzis keeps offering the over-worked line of... "Rundle Mall is Unique, that is the key word here and what we are striving for... Unique". Hmmm... I guess that newspaper poll pretty much nailed the argument in the negative here. I'd like to suggest that the marketing department finds a more 'unique' marketing moniker than unique coz we've heard it before, it's parse and tired just like the mall, -get the point here.

I was poo-pooed at a traders meeting when I offered my 2 cents worth of why Rundle Mall is unique. And it's not from today but in the mid 80's when MYER's in the mall installed a roller coaster in the atrium 7 floors above the mall. Wow, did this create a buzz. It was kinda shocking, scary in fact. Whether you chose to ride it or not didn't matter. It attracted visitors, was a draw card and was the only original (insert unique) aspect of the Mall at that time. Died coz of the State Bank debacle. Just a wasteland now of unleased shops (in fact the top floors are now closed to the public).

 
I'd like to see a modern version of it again or something just as wild. Get dangerous and push the envelope. It's not about getting major international clothing labels to rent in the mall, ho-hum, we can get that anywhere now. That is not... insert... Unique.