Victor Gruen

Biography

Austrian-American architect and urban planner (1903-1980), widely regarded as the inventor of the modern shopping mall. Founded Victor Gruen Associates in Los Angeles, which specialized in urban planning and shopping mall design. Collaborated with Abdolaziz Farmanfarmaian on the Tehran Comprehensive Master Plan, which established the 25-year expansion boundary and service limits for Tehran with a target population cap of 5.5 million. The plan's expressway network was implemented even after the Iranian Revolution.