sunrise at the strip mall

I wonder if strip malls are an american thing. consisting of a group of stores either in a straight line or l shape, they always have a big parking lot built in front of the buildings providing quick accessibility. I took this shot facing the parking lot.
I will probably always be impressed by how the sky impacts its surroundings.
most towns used to have a main street usually named main street. when malls started being built approximately 35 years ago they took the life out of small towns. the mall became the all in one solution where everyone would go to shop, eat and hangout without having to walk around outside or get in & out of their car.
I think the staying power of the strip mall is due to the convenient ease of parking they provide. Most people are tired of the malls but still need a place to shop, eat and hangout but there are few towns left to do so. luckily strip malls have been around since -at least the 20's.