CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF CHANGES IN EQUITY - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Total	Preferred Stock [Member]	Common Stock [Member]	Additional Paid-in Capital [Member]	Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income [Member]	Accumulated Distributions in Excess of Net Income [Member]	Noncontrolling Interest [Member]
Balance at Dec. 31, 2013	$ (215,660)	$ 25	$ 631	$ 796,787	$ (8,914)	$ (908,656)	$ (95,533)
Balance, shares at Dec. 31, 2013		39,651,069	63,101,614
Increase (Decrease) in Stockholders' Equity [Roll Forward]
Issuance of stock pursuant to Continuing Offer (Notes 13, 14, and 15)	0
Issuance of stock pursuant to Continuing Offer (Notes 13, 14, and 15), shares		(35,500)	35,500
Repurchase of common stock (Note 14)	(17)			(17)
Repurchase of common stock (Note 14), shares			(266)
Share-based compensation under employee and director benefit plans (Note 13)	18,932		$ 2	18,930
Share-based compensation under employee and director benefit plans (Note 13), shares			187,561
Adjustments of noncontrolling interests (Notes 9 and 18)	0			83	30		(113)
Contributions from noncontrolling interests	22,345						22,345
Dividends and distributions (Note 2)	(674,685)					(466,731)
Noncontrolling Interest, Decrease from Distributions to Noncontrolling Interest Holders							(207,954)
Other	(626)			178		(814)	10
Other, Shares		1,431
Net income	1,278,122					893,013	385,109
Unrealized loss on interest rate instruments and other	(18,004)				(12,783)		(5,221)
Cumulative translation adjustment	(7,193)				(5,148)		(2,045)
Reclassification adjustment for amounts recognized in net income	16,729				11,747		4,982
Balance at Dec. 31, 2014	419,943	$ 25	$ 633	815,961	(15,068)	(483,188)	101,580
Balance, shares at Dec. 31, 2014		39,617,000	63,324,409
Increase (Decrease) in Stockholders' Equity [Roll Forward]
Issuance of stock pursuant to Continuing Offer (Notes 13, 14, and 15)	0		$ 1	(1)
Issuance of stock pursuant to Continuing Offer (Notes 13, 14, and 15), shares		(72,061)	73,295
Repurchase of common stock (Note 14)	(252,633)		$ (35)	(252,598)
Repurchase of common stock (Note 14), shares			(3,460,796)
Share-based compensation under employee and director benefit plans (Note 13)	19,252		$ 3	19,249
Share-based compensation under employee and director benefit plans (Note 13), shares			296,653
Adjustments of noncontrolling interests (Notes 9 and 18)	(9,296)			69,521	(198)		(78,619)
Dividends and distributions (Note 2)	(231,502)					(163,087)
Noncontrolling Interest, Decrease from Distributions to Noncontrolling Interest Holders							(68,415)
Other	(584)			14		(598)
Net income	192,557					134,127	58,430
Unrealized loss on interest rate instruments and other	(13,668)				(9,653)		(4,015)
Cumulative translation adjustment	(15,279)				(10,790)		(4,489)
Reclassification adjustment for amounts recognized in net income	12,021				8,489		3,532
Balance at Dec. 31, 2015	120,811	$ 25	$ 602	652,146	(27,220)	(512,746)	8,004
Balance, shares at Dec. 31, 2015		39,544,939	60,233,561
Increase (Decrease) in Stockholders' Equity [Roll Forward]
Issuance of stock pursuant to Continuing Offer (Notes 13, 14, and 15)	0
Issuance of stock pursuant to Continuing Offer (Notes 13, 14, and 15), shares		(15,880)	15,880
Share-based compensation under employee and director benefit plans (Note 13)	17,030		$ 2	17,028
Taubman Asia President redeemable equity adjustment (Note 9)	(13,854)			(13,854)
Share-based compensation under employee and director benefit plans (Note 13), shares			181,172
Adjustments of noncontrolling interests (Notes 9 and 18)	(656)			1,959	1		(2,616)
Dividends and distributions (Note 2)	(369,742)					(168,988)
Noncontrolling Interest, Decrease from Distributions to Noncontrolling Interest Holders							(200,754)
Other	(791)			2		(793)
Net income	188,151
Net income (excludes $656 of net loss attributable to redeemable noncontrolling interest) (Note 9)	188,807					132,613	56,194
Unrealized loss on interest rate instruments and other	(4,308)				(3,044)		(1,264)
Cumulative translation adjustment	(17,339)				(12,251)		(5,088)
Reclassification adjustment for amounts recognized in net income	9,339				6,598		2,741
Balance at Dec. 31, 2016	$ (70,703)	$ 25	$ 604	$ 657,281	$ (35,916)	$ (549,914)	$ (142,783)
Balance, shares at Dec. 31, 2016		39,529,059	60,430,613